Kate Lindsey / Arcangelo / Jonathan Cohen TIRANNO

 

TIRANNO

 

Toronto Symphony Orchestra / Sir Andrew Davis MASSENET Thaïs

THAÏS

BBC Symphony Orchestra / BBC Symphony Chorus / Sir Andrew Davis ELGAR The Music Makers - The Spirit of England

Distinguished British music interpreter Sir Andrew Davis joins forces with the BBCSO once again, this time with acclaimed soloists Dame Sarah Connolly and Andrew Staples, in this thoughtful presentation of the last two substantial choral works of Sir Edward Elgar.

The maturity of Elgar as an orchestrator is obvious in both works on this disc, notably, in The Music Makers (1912), during passages in which he quotes from Sea Pictures and the Violin Concerto, and in representing the sound of aircraft in The Spirit of England (1917).

Elgar uses self-quotation to reflect: The Music Makers is a canvas of self-reflection, written quickly following a period of illness. The orchestral introduction is introspective, melancholic and noble, before the words of Arthur O’Shaughanessy’s poem and much self-quotation within the music offer an insight into the sense of nostalgia and awareness of the loneliness of the creative artist felt by the composer. The Spirit of England reflects on the sadness and desolation of war felt by a nation, with the inclusion of quotations from The Dream of Gerontius in some of the more negative stanzas that Elgar found harder to set. Specified in the score for tenor or soprano, all three movements are sung here by a tenor in a recording first.

Esa-Pekka Salonen / Finnish National Opera STRAVINSKY Perséphone

Stravinsky’s Perséphone (1934) is a dynamic musical-theatrical narration of the myth of Persephone’s abduction to the underworld and return to earth. The transparent, sober but evocative music epitomizes Stravinsky’s sensuous take on Neoclassicism, and the piece showcases Stravinsky’s eclectic, original and highly personal approach to music and musical drama through a playful mixture of several genres – melodrama, song, chorus, dance and pantomime. Ultimately, Perséphone offers Stravinsky’s second ode to spring, albeit without the brutal excesses of Le Sacre.

This album was recorded live during the Helsinki Festival 2017 with a star cast featuring English tenor Andrew Staples and French actress Pauline Cheviller. They join forces with the Finnish National Opera’s chorus, children’s chorus, and orchestra, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, in a breathtaking performance that emphasizes the piece’s transformative power. (PENTATONE)

Barenboim ELGAR The Dream of Gerontius

Daniel Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin continue their exploration of the music of Edward Elgar with a new recording of The Dream of Gerontius.

Barenboim and the orchestra are joined by singers Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Andrew Staples, and Thomas Hampson as well as the Staatsopernchor Berlin and the Rias Kammerchor.

Recorded under the baton of Daniel Barenboim with the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Rias Kammerchor, Thomas Hampson sings both the role of the Priest and Angel of the Agony. Tenor Andrew Staples joins, singing the role of Gerontius, with mezzo-soprano Catherine Wyn-Rogers as the Angel. Hailed as Elgar’s finest choral composition, The Dream of Gerontius explores a soul’s journey from near-death to the throne of judgement. Performed in concert at the Berlin Musikfest last year, Hampson was hailed as “rock solid” by the Financial Times, and as “filling the room with an angelic aura” by Kultur Radio.

‘Barenboim's long association with, and love for, Elgar has effectively made it part of his musical DNA’ (Gramophone)

‘Barenboim made this a Gerontius of transcendental splendour’ (Financial Times concert review)

‘If anyone can make a case for Elgar outside Britain, and without special pleading, it's Daniel Barenboim, returning to conduct this British composer's works’ (New York Times)