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Classical Music

The Royal Lewters: Music of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I's favourite lutenists
Paul O'Dette (Lute)
Harmonia Mundi HMU 907313 Reviewed by SG
While exceptional royal musicians are now a rare breed, during the reigns of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth, their courts included musical establishments that attracted some of the premium players from across Europe. Both monarchs were gifted performers in their own right, and fittingly this disc coincides with the 400th anniversary of the Virgin Queen's death. While proceedings commence with the king's own song, 'Pastyme with good Companie', composers such as Anthony de Countie and John Johnson may be less familiar, but as "Royal Lewters" their stylish, cultured or rustic works delighted the Tudor courts and this release is charming. Many pieces are based on popular ballad tunes or dances, and these contrast with the more intense works. O'Dette's performance is faultless throughout, with crisp, sparkling and stylish playing, all with a sense of improvisation (assisted by his experience in jazz) that conveys many pieces with genuine swing and a precise agility. In fact, you cannot get better, and his fluid virtuosity is enhanced by an excellent recording, that is detailed but with delightful and evocative warmth. All in all this is a beautiful disc, which makes for some intimate and atmospheric listening.

Schumann: Humoreske / Novellettes / Piano Sonata in F minor / Nachtstbeke
Andras Schiff
ECM New Series 1806 / 07 472 119-2 Reviewed by SG
A live recording of an entire recital of Schumann works that are often regarded as the poor relations of Kreisleriana may not appear too appealing, but each piece has its own glories and Schiff treats them with affection, compassion and respect. In fact, few pianists could have made the entire programme work. The Humoreske is notoriously challenging, but Schiff concentrates on the rhapsodic poetry and flair that unite the torrent of opposing ideas, orchestrating the piece with a sense of communicative purpose. His Novelletten unfolds with a narrative impression of control and is full of marvellous lyricism, while the Sonata in F minor, where Schiff discloses his shrewd and refreshing modifications of timbre, has a positive impulsive fervour merged with an inner soul-searching. Here he opts for Schumann's later four movement edition, while adhering to his earlier first movement text. ECM's engineering is superb, with the Steinway captured wonderfully in the acoustic of Zurich's Tonehalle, and Schiffs insightful musicianship is augmented by the feeling of occasion, atmosphere and adrenaline that you get with the best recitals. The reflective Nachtstucke serves not so much as an encore but as a benediction to this beautifully performed and presented release.

Palestrina: Missa Dum complerentur / Veni Sancte Spiritus
Westminster Cathedral Choir / Martin Baker
Hyperion CDA67353 Reviewed by SG
The Missa Dum complerentur is a "parody" Mass and takes its name and musical ideas from an earlier motet. Rather than being an act of mere self-plagiarism, the results are more a strong unification of the compositional techniques employed by the composer, with each Mass movement commencing with a variation of the motet's opening. But Palestrina is subtler elsewhere, and employs a number of motet parts in contrasting areas. Hyperion has been clever to open this CD with the motet, before the complete Mass, for those wanting to hear the source material. The disc is completed by six Whitsuntide motets. The Westminster Cathedral Choir and their new director, Martin Baker, produce a considerate and informative performance, with a clear sense of musical structure. Technically the singing is excellent, with the single-line plainchant of Sequence: Veni Sancte Spiritus being just about faultless. There are two eight-part motets that use layered textures projected antiphonally from side to side, and with a clear and atmospheric recording the spaciousness is enhanced, even though it lacks the last ounce of resolution and presence. Despite not exhibiting the last word in engineered sound, this issue of beautifully relaxing music is warmly recommended.

Beethoven: Piano Trios Nos. 1 (Ghost) ft 2, Op. 70 / Allegretto in B flat major
The Florestan Trio
Hyperion CDA67327 Reviewed by SG
While there have been a number of superb recorded performances of these trios, such as two by the Beaux Arts Trio, no current trio conveys such a spontaneous sense of enthusiasm and discovery as the Florestans. In both the contrasting Op. 70 pieces they respond to the vigour and unpredictability of Beethoven's feelings. Their tempo is a little quicker than usual in the Ghost trio, revealing a particular sense of intrigue. The opening movement is appropriately volatile, yet they are always conscious of the score's dolce and pianissimo markings, and the players relish the reactive musical jousting of the presto finale, with pianist Susan Tomes conjuring incredible dexterity and speed. The glorious E flat trio is approached with more style, as it should be, yet intermingled are humour and audacity, resulting in a recording of the perfect balance between resolve and sensitivity. While the intermezzo is often performed too slowly, here there is a brisk spring to the music. The performers bounce ideas off one another, stimulating and persuading each to reveal fresh insights and creating a wonderful sense of live music making. With very good engineering this now has to be the first choice among recordings of these works.

Edward Elgar: Overture In The South 'Alassio'; Introduction and Allegro for Strings*; Sospiri; Enigma Variations
Kuehl quartett*
John Eliot Gardiner, VPO
Deutsche Grammophon 463 265-2 Reviewed by JMH
The concert overture In the South finds Elgar at his most opulent and Straussian, though (as so often with this composer) there's a yearning elegiac quality that gives the music a bittersweet feeling of nostalgia and regret. The opening flourish and sweeping tune for strings brings to mind the start of Ein Heldenleben, but deep down Elgar lacked Strauss' breezy confidence and worldly charm; the music soon shows its sad melancholy side. The Vienna violins play superbly, and the recording reveals much detail usually obscured. The Introduction and Allegro is outstandingly well played too, with an impressive solo quartet. Although idiomatically written for strings, the music is very difficult and demanding. But the Vienna players make light of its technical difficulties, giving a crisp virtuoso account. In the Enigma Variations, Gardiner avoids excessive subjective emotionality, keeping the music moving without treating it brusquely. It's not a traditional British performance, but one that reveals the work as a masterpiece of truly international stature able to stand against any orchestral work of its time. The VPO seem to agree, and play with fabulous commitment and panache. DG's recordings sound clear and open, with good detail and excellent clarity. In the overture especially, you'll hear things most recordings obscure altogether.

Faure: Sonates pour violon et piano
Isabelle Faust / Florent Boffard
Harmonic Mundi HMC 901741 Reviewed by SG
While Faure's Violin Sonata No. 1, of 1875, is one of the young composer's first masterpieces, the Violin Sonata No. 2 was not completed for another forty years, meaning that the two came from quite different eras, showing marked stylistic contrasts. The First owes a clear debt to earlier 19th Century works, and receives an exemplary performance from the duo that flows superbly. The Second Sonata is a far more complex piece, revealing more in the way of emotion and moving away from conventional tonality. The disc concludes with four minor, yet still inspired pieces. Compared to her performance on their second Bartok disc (see issue 9), Isabelle Faust reveals a growing mastery. Despite the praise heaped upon her early recordings, she has managed to respond and develop further, acquiring a broader, fuller tone along the way. She is less prone to harshness or straining at moments of exertion, and with Boffard contributing a customarily sympathetic performance, there is total ease to the playing, rendering each piece with total clarity, projecting the involved ebb and flow of passion, bringing the music into focus. With outstanding playing and excellent sound, this is an altogether beautiful release.

Dvorak: Symphony No. 7
London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Colin Davis
LSO Live LS00014 Reviewed by SG
Three years ago, the London Symphony Orchestra launched its own label (LSO Live) with the release of discs of Dvorak's Eighth and Ninth symphonies. Both soon became the recognised benchmark recordings following rave reviews -including my own of the Eighth in issue 8. This new release, recorded in March 2001, is surely destined for comparable status. In this symphony, Dvorak created his model of the profound "Brahmsian" symphony, with the four movements being a genuine symphonic sweep, and he significantly discarded the melodious quality of his earlier symphonic essays. But, there is still much of the distinctive Bohemian character, and this balancing of integrity and warmth is perfectly caught by Davis, who in places lets the melodies flow, particularly in the glorious Paco Adagio where David Pyatt's glorious horn playing emerges from the overall texture. The Scherzo is given a genuine rhythmic quality, full of optimism, and the Finale is supplied with an acutely dramatic structure. While the recording was made before the improvements to the Barbican Hall's acoustics, Tony Faulkner has done wonders, supplying sound that is commendably spacious, putting the finishing touches to what is surely yet another success for this great orchestra and its independent label.

Gustav Holst: The Planets – suite*
Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations
LPO* / LSO. Sir Adrian Boult
EMI CDM-5 67748-2 Reviewed by JMH
Opinions vary as to which of Boult's five recordings of The Planets is best. I still favour his penultimate 1967 version with the New Philharmonic, but many go for the present LPO version released in 1979. And it's not hard to see why. Boult's tempi are sometimes slower than usual, and it's fair to say his performance does not have the virtuoso brilliance of Steinberg's or the sheer sensuality and panache of Karajan's - both DG. But there's no question that Boult's wise and utterly idiomatic interpretation sounds and feels right. He was, after all, the first to conduct the work! This new transfer sounds better than EMI's earlier issue on Studio, and thankfully the hum that afflicted the last four Planets seems to have been eliminated. The Enigma Variations date from the early '70s- Boult's 'Indian Summer' on EMI when he made so many marvellous recordings. It's a very straight and unaffected performance; clean and outwardly undemonstrative, yet deeply felt from within. Tempi feel measured and unhurried, though timings show that speeds are faster than they seem. Again, Boult's wisdom and maturity shines through every movement, and his performance is again wholly idiomatic. This new transfer improves on EMI's original full-price release - and the subsequent reissue on the British Music series. Wide stereo separation allows you to hear the conductor's preference for divided violins.

Bax: Symphony No. 6 / Into the Twilight / Summer Music
Royal Scottish National Orch., David Lloyd-Jones
Naxos 8.557144 Reviewed by SG
Both the Sixth Symphony and Into the Twilight are full of Bax's Celtic inspired form of Romanticism, drawing on the Scottish west coast and W.B. Yeats respectively. While some dislike this style, the Sixth should satisfy his most ardent doubters, being the most concise and easily likeable of his seven symphonies, with its dramatic opening movement, a strikingly beautiful central Largo and a finale that looks back to Sibelius and forward to Vaughan Williams, with Strauss-like splendour. This is the first new release of this work since Chandos' Brydon Thomson cycle of nearly twenty years ago, and is especially successful. Lloyd-Jones never lets the music linger too long or deviate from its set path, being fully aware of its structure. The finale is neatly followed by Into the Twilight, one of the composer's earliest tone poems, before the disc is concluded by the hazy beauty of Summer Music, with its almost Delian overtones. The maturity of Bax's compositions is especially accommodated by the wonderful sound quality that is good enough to satisfy even the most committed of audiophiles. Overall, this is the most successful of Naxos' already excellent Bax series, and therefore can be wholeheartedly recommended.

Audiophile Recordings

Ella Fitzgerald - Sings The Rodgers And Hart Songbook
Speakers Corner / Verve MGVS-6009/10 Reviewed by RG
Whilst there are few artists that offer a safer bet to audiophile re-issue labels than Ella Fitzgerald, there's no escaping the fact that Speakers Corner's decision to produce their sumptuous Gershwin Songbook box represented a gigantic leap of faith one that's been repaid handsomely, I might add. Continuing the theme (they've already done the Cole Porter Songbook) they return to financially safer ground with a mere double album and a simple gatefold sleeve. But don't be fooled by the lack of the Gershwin's extravagant packaging - the musical and sonic quality here is every bit as good as the previous issues, and that is good indeed. Recorded in 1962, with orchestral arrangements by Buddy Bregman and production by the great Norman Granz, this recording is wonderfully true to the music. Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart were musical architects, carefully sculpting precisely layered structures, a perfect balance of wit and melody, emotion and content. These were songs with poise, so who better to deliver them than Ella with her impeccable phrasing and perfect control. Songs like 'Have You Met Miss Jones' and 'You Took Advantage Of Me' might be high-points, whilst The Lady Is A Tramp' and 'My Funny Valentine' might be the classic hits, but there's not a lowpoint here. Great songs, peerlessly performed and perfectly pressed and presented, this album is a treat indeed. Absolutely essential!

Respighi: Feste Romain; Pini di Roma
Cleveland Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
Speakers Corner / Decca SXL 6822 Reviewed by JMH
Just about everyone agrees; Maazel's 1977 Decca Respighi LP was among the high points of his tenure at the helm of the Cleveland orchestra. It was one of those 'must have' LPs in the '70s; definitive performances, sumptuously recorded. Engineer Kenneth Wilkinson achieved a marvellously rich deep powerful sound of great impact and presence. Of course, the engineering flatters to deceive; the sound isn't actually as dynamic as it seems. But who cares when the results sound as convincing as this? Feste Romain is especially impressive; Wilkie captures a huge soundstage of immense depth and breadth, the brass blazing out in a sonorous acoustic. Of course it's gaudy vulgar music bereft of taste. But that's the appeal of these brash technicolor orchestral showpieces! The gloriously OTT finale of Feste Romain always brings me out in a grin - it's fairground music elevated to art. This new Speakers Corner 1808 LP transfer is a shade brighter and drier than the Decca original, lacking the tatters depth and richness. It still packs quite a punch, but the reduced ambience makes Wilkie's multi-miked balances a shade more obvious. Collectors scouring the secondhand market may be interested to know that Mobile Fidelity reissued this LP in the early '80s. The transfer was very bold, sounding as though bass and treble extremes had been boosted to create extra immediacy. Don't say you weren't warned...

Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis
4 Men with Beards 4M 112 Reviewed by RP
With a progressive rock juggernaut snapping at her heels this country's finest white soul singer bar none departed these shores for Tennessee to cut a truly stunning LP that was only recognised for its brilliance long after the 1969 release date. By then a thoroughly disillusioned Dusty Springfield had slipped away into relative obscurity which was most definitely our loss. The album's strengths, however, are twofold. Atlantic Records not only ensured that Dusty had an eminent production team around her who placed that naturally soulful voice to the fore, but they also backed this up by countenancing the selection of some classic material written by the likes of Randy Newman, Burt Bacharach, Gerry Goffin and Carole King. These songs, including 'Just A Little Love', 'I Can't Make It Alone' and 'Just One Smile' are not only attractively sung, but they also reveal a soft vulnerability that is totally captivating. Then, of course, there are those unrivalled performances of a timeless 'Son Of A Preacher Man' and 'The Windmills Of Your Mind' , backed by the exemplary playing of Reggie Young (guitar), Tommy Cogbill (bass), Bobby Emmons (organ) and Bobby Wood (piano). Quite simply this is a mouthwatering record that should be in every collection and this beautifully presented gatefold reissue, replete with indispensable biographical notes, is the one to own.
Supplier: The Cherished Record Company - www.cherished-record-company.co.uk (44)(0)1579 363603

Overtures In Hi-Fi Works by Adam; Auber; Herold; Reznicek; Suppe and Nicolai
Paris Conservatoire, Albert Woolf
Speakers Corner / Decca SXL-2008 Reviewed by JMH
Despite along and eventful record buying career lasting nearly thirty years, I never managed to acquire this mouthwatering 1958 collection of Overtures in Hi-fi. I saw it just the once secondhand -but alas another collector already had his mitts on it. Just as well; the price asked made my eyes water! The original (one of Decca's earliest stereo issues) is extremely rare, and (so far as I'm aware) Decca never reissued it, so this Speakers Corner 1809 replica is very welcome. Decca seemed to achieve very good sound with the Paris Conservatoire in the late '50s, anti Overtures in Hi-fi is a typical production; bright, open, lively, detailed, with wide stereo and plenty of brilliance. My guess is that this new transfer sounds tonally brighter and thinner than the Decca original, losing some depth and sheen. But it's still very acceptable, with clean quiet surfaces. And in the absence of an original copy to make comparisons, I soon ceased to worry about what might or might not have been. The choice of works includes old-time favourites like Herold's Zampa and Reznicek's delightful Donna Diana that (sadly) are played and recorded infrequently nowadays. The orchestral playing is spirited and enthusiastic under Albert Wolff, making up for a certain lack of sophistication and technical security by sheer ebullience. This disc is huge fun. Gorgeous cover art too!

Ida Haendel and Geoffrey Parsons - Baroque Transcriptions
Testament SBT 1258

Ida Haendel and Geoffrey Parsons - Popular Encores
Testament SBT 1259 Reviewed by RP
The source of these Testament digital re-masters is of course that remarkable EMI archive which runs to near biblical proportions. The Transcriptions and Encores were each taped over a three-day period at the Abbey Road Studios in 1976 and 1978 respectively. On vinyl they are some of the toughest titles to track down despite the relatively plentiful supply of 70's EMI recordings second-hand. The original LP references, for those interested, are ASD 3352 and ASD 3785. However, it's worth remembering that Ida Haendel's recorded performances are highly sought after, so don't be surprised if you have to pay a premium for the privilege of spinning them on a turntable. A few minutes spent listening to these recent transfers goes some way to explaining why she has received so many plaudits. There's an intriguing sense of interplay here between that artful Haendel bowing and the accompanying intuitive and dextrous keyboard skills of the Australian born pianist, Geoffrey Parsons. Each of these musicians with their distinctive styles have down the years endeared themselves to English audiences. They certainly excel at this accessible and popular repertoire. Of the two CDs it's the Baroque Transcriptions which provides the more musically satisfying programme because there's some real meat to get your teeth into with the longer Corelli La Folia, Vitali Chaconne, Narclini Sonata and Tartini Devil's Trill. The dozen sugared almonds found on the Popular Encores disc are lovely pieces, but they lack substance. Even the longest, a Giuseppe Tartini Andante-Presto, lasts for only a mere seven minutes. So, like a good concert hall encore, it leaves you yearning for more. This is by it's very nature an inherently fragmented recital, but it does improve upon Haendel's earlier Famous Violin Compositions LP that covered much of the same territory for the old Supraphon label in 1962. All the big tunes are accounted for: Songs My Mother Taught Me, Ave Maria, Sarasate's Habanera and Zapateado, as well as an opening Paganini La Clochette and Bartok Rumanian Folk Dances. There is, however, a terrific sense of rapport established here. Haendel's violin sings throughout these virtuoso and forthright renditions, while Parsons draws upon his famed work as an accompanist to the World's great vocalists in a well established and rock solid supporting role. Both benefit from a diaphanous and fleet-footed acoustic that comfortably manages to keep pace with every high-octane twist or turn of the great lady's violin. These qualities surface again for a fluid and brilliantly written Vitali Chaconne. It's a work that has plenty of scope for individual virtuosity and Haendel, who is at her slipperiest, never misses an opportunity to showboat. Elsewhere, on an embellished Nardini Sonata, or for the melodic and delightfully expressive La Folia, those extended rich and vibrant tonal colours from both instruments are beautifully recreated. An essential purchase for all Ida Haendel devotees.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

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