Duo Natalia MAGICAL RUSSIA

MAGICAL RUSSIA

 

Hans-Jürg Strub SCHUBERT Klaviersonaten D 959 - D 960

KLAVIERSONATEN D 959 - D 960

 

Lydia Maria Bader CHINESE DREAMS

CHINESE DREAMS

Judith Jáuregui / Orquestra Simfònica Camera Musicae / Tomás Grau DIE ROMANTISCHE SEELE

DIE ROMANTISCHE SEELE

Uta Weyand 1892 REFLECTIONS

1892 REFLECTIONS

Céline Pasche / I Pizzicanti ALMA INTREPIDA

ALMA INTREPIDA

Dorothy Khadem-Missagh LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN - KARL TRAUGOTT ZEUNER

                             LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN - KARL TRAUGOTT ZEUNER

Ieva Dudaite TIERSEN MEETS CHOPIN

                                                        TIERSEN MEETS CHOPIN

Violina Petrychenko UKRAINIAN MOODS

Violina Petrychenko decided to put together a program that would combine the musical traditions of Western Europe and Ukraine. The first part presents two composers, whose work is rooted in the classical traditions: Levko Revutsky and Viktor Kosenko. The remaining three, Kolessa as well as Igor and Juri Shamo, strove to draw on a greater number of folkloristic motifs. It was the piece Carpathian Fantasy by Juri Schamo, which gave her the idea to this program, because the work itself stands for the combination of musical traditions.

Violina Petrychenko SLAVIC NOBILITY

For her solo CD debut disc Ukrainian pianist Violina Petrychenko has chosen piano works by Scriabin and fellow Ukrainian Viktor Kosenko. Kosenko remains little known or recorded though the declared world première recording of his second piano sonata is in fact erroneous since its debut on disc was by another Ukrainian pianist Natalya Shkoda on Centaur Records back in 2011 on which all three of his piano sonatas are presented. That said this disc is interesting because of the similarities between the two composers: one born in Moscow, the other in St Petersburg, both of them admirers of Chopin, Kosenko also of Scriabin, and both of them dying at tragically young ages robbing us of so much more that they might have written.

Petrychenko’s programme is one that encourages comparisons with her playing similar works by each composer. The otherworldliness that characterises Scriabin’s music is immediately apparent in the first of the 2 Poèmes op.32. Its simple lines transport the listener away from the cares of the world while the second is much more powerful. The first of Kosenko’s two poems also embodies a dreamy quality with the second again a more striking affair.

We then have three mazurkas by each of them, both sets being their op. 3, in which Chopin’s influence is marked. That said, each of them stamps his own very different personality upon them even if Kosenko’s mazurkas are especially Chopinesque. The latter recall an age well before that of their composition.

Scriabin’s two movement piano sonata, dramatic and dreamlike by turns, is ‘classic’ Scriabin. Kosenko’s three movement work could also be thought to come from the same stable if we were not told of its composer’s identity. However, similar in nature though it may be to his idol’s work, Kosenko’s sonata has an originality that would surely have been further developed had he lived longer than his 42 years. Its central slow movement is an extremely affecting song without words.

The title of the disc — Slavic Nobility — refers to the fact that both composers came from noble families. It also alludes to the music which has a noble quality. I can take as much Scriabin as record companies can throw at me and now I find that Kosenko’s music is just as infectious. I’m hopeful we’ll have more such discs coming our way. From what I’ve read there’s plenty more to explore from this little known composer.

Petrychenko who has made her home in Germany is perfectly at home with all this music and plays it with both commitment and affection. The disc is very well recorded. (Steve Arloff)

Judith Jáuregui POUR LE TOMBEAU DE CLAUDE DEBUSSY

The first album by Judith to be recorded live, this is a work highly charged with emotion and truth. "A live record -the pianist confesses- bears the truth of the moment. As a performer, I believe in the value of honesty, in the value of what is unique, of being able to share an instant of real emotion. And that's what I feel this recording possesses".

Pour le tombeau de Claude Debussy came into being as a tribute concert played in 2018 to mark the centenary of the death of the French composer, and it is conceived now in album form as a journey through the works of Debussy and of composers intimately linked to him. "I like a concert or a disc to represent a journey and to tell a story - she explains - and that is why I chose this line of argument instead of a monographic project. Moreover, I also decided on these composers because I've have felt particularly close to them in recent years". In addition, Judith identifies with the aesthetic of the composers subject of the recording: "although he was born in Mexico, my father grew up in France, and French culture and a French take on things have always been very present in my home. Among my childhood memories there are many afternoons `on the other side of the border´, in Biarritz, St Jean de Luz, Bayonne… all my life I've had that innate connection and so I am in the thrall of the colours, the suggestive nature, the natural sophistication and the aesthetic of Debussy, Ravel, Poulenc… That explains why I feel so good in general with music connected with Paris, such as that by Chopin, Falla or Mompou” she remembers.

Elisa van Beek / Giorgos Karagiannis MOZART - BARTÓK - BRAHMS

Together with the string quartet, the Sonata for Violin and Piano has been one of the standard works of classical chamber music since the 18th century. The violinist Elisa van Beek and her piano accompanist Giorgos Karagiannis show the development of the violin sonata with contributions by Mozart, Brahms and Bartók. Elisa van Beek was born into a musical family in Germany. At the age of six she received her first piano lesson with Birgit Helber at the Music School in Trossingen. She also took lessons from her father and won first prize at the regional Jugend Musiziert music competition. At the age of eleven she discovered her passion for the violin while taking lessons with Rudolf Rampf and later with Riza Yildiz at the Diapason Music Academy in Karlsruhe. She went on to study at the Folkwang University of the Arts and the State Academy of Music in Trossingen. She is currently engaged as a permanent substitute at the State Theatre in Hanover, Germany.

Trio Goldberg DE L'OMBRE À LA LUMIÈRE

The Goldberg Trio was founded when three key-members of the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra (Liza Kerob, Concertmaster - Federico Hood, Principal viola - Thierry Amadi, Principal cello), rich with the diversity of their respective cultural backgrounds, joined forces to create this dynamic and electric ensemble. The well-rehearsed string trios by Klein, Weinberg, Dohnányi and Cras are some of the most important and interesting contributions to the genre in the 20th century.

Charlotte Schäfer / Neue Düsseldorfer Hofmusik / Michael Preiser SOL NASCENTE

The debut release of coloratura soprano, Charlotte Schäfer accompanied by the Düsseldorfer Hofmusik led by Michael Preiser in a collection that focuses on the bravura arias written in the period between the Baroque and early Classical eras. With many of these arias being released for the first time, Schäfer’s sublime performance invites us to consider the prescience of the young Mozart with “Sol Nascente” meaning rising sun written at the advent of the new Classical era.

Charlotte Schäfer / Concerto con Anima / Michael Preiser DOLCI AFFETTI

The second solo CD of the young soprano Charlotte Schäfer, together with Concerto con Anima under Michael Preiser, contains true gems of virtuoso coloratura art, which all use texts from the libretto Demofoonte by Pietro Metastasio. Her debut album (ARS38187 - Sol nascente - Italian Arias) received great reviews: "....the young ... soprano Charlotte Schäfer introduces herself with sophisticated coloratura...." Opernglas "She's technically accomplished with superb coloratura and a trill worth the name . " Musicweb International.

Among the composers of the works recorded here for the first time in the world are Johann Christian Bach, Pasquale Anfossi and Giuseppe Sarti.

Manrico Padovani, Natasha Korsakova, Nordböhmische Philharmonie Teplice, Charles Olivieri-Munroe TABULA RASA

The English language draws a clear distinction between the terms “concert” (a musical performance) and “concerto” (referring to the musical form or genre). The German word “Konzert”, on the other hand, can carry both meanings which, due to an ever- increasing propensity towards simplification and sheer linguistic negligence on the one hand and a music scene long characterized by ignorance and amateurism on the other, often leads to hopeless confusion. The Italian word “concerto”, meanwhile, derives both from the Middle Latin and Italian concertare (to agree or concur) and from the Classical Latin concertare (to dispute or contend). While the first meaning was intended to denote a more or less harmonious interplay between singers and instrumentalists, the secondary definition of a rivalrous or contentious interaction between various instruments and instrumental groups, or between singers and instrumentalists, eventually prevailed for musical compositions in which “heterogeneous elements interact”.

Andreas Woyke FESTAS SURAMERICANAS

The 'Ciclo Brasileiro' by Heitor Villa-Lobos begins with two impressionistic pieces, 'Plantio do caboclo' and 'Impressoes seresteiras'. Then the music does explode in a musical feast and a frenetic dance. With incredible virtuosity and impetuous drive Andreas Woyke ignites electrifying music on his piano that probably would scare the devil in hell. 

But it does even get more dramatic in 'Rudepoema' (Wild poem, also Savage poem), the longest, most virtuoso and most complex piano solo piece by Villa-Lobos. 

Marc-André Hamelin has recorded this work that has often been compared to Stravinsky's 'Sacre du Printemps' on a Hyperion CD in an immensly enthralling way, but Andreas Woyke does surpass him with a fascinatingly passionate, threateningly unrestrained and headily haunting performance. 

The listener always gets the impression Woyke would truly have to take off with his piano and fly out of the hall with this incredible thrust. 

The move to Alberto Ginastera does not give any rest to the pianist. The first movement of the Argentine's First Piano Sonata is thrillingly dramatic and Woyke plays it like in a trance. But that's nothing compared to the presto misterioso and its nervous driving force. Also Ginastera's Adagio is full of passion and eruptions. The movement is in good hands with Woyke, because he seemingly does use it like an elastic spring being wound up to provide slingshot power in the last movement, a Malambo dance. This also can be found in the first and last of the three 'Danzas Argentinas', while the middle dance is very tranquil and allows Woyke to show his sensitivity in finest nuances as well. 

But again, the main feature of this SACD is the virtuoso, and Andreas Woyke faces this tour de force with incredible power and technical predominance, making the various pieces sound with an indescribably brilliant verve. 

"Virtuosity is the main characteristic of this Villa-Lobos and Ginastera program, played with a peerless verve by Andreas Woyke" (Remy Franck)

Carolina López Moreno / Doriana Tchakarova IL BEL SOGNO

‘My aim with this recording is not only to realize a beautiful dream, to conquer the stage and to touch people’s hearts, and to lead my listeners on a journey of great emotions in the world of music. I would like to uncover the dreams that lie dormant in all of us and that are yearning to be brought into the open – desires which often reveal themselves in our dreams, where they seem tangible and achievable. Dreams of love, and phantasies of the world we would like to live in.’ (Carolina López Moreno)

Florian Noack SERGEI LYAPUNOV Works for Piano Vol. 2

My acquaintance with the piano music of Sergei Lyapunov has, until recently, been confined to the recording of the Transcendental Études by Konstantin Scherbakov on Marco Polo 8.223491. Then, in the space of a month, Louis Kentner’s 1949 recording of the Études came along, followed by this latest disc from Ars Produktion in Florian Noack’s Lyapunov series. The more I listen to the piano music of this composer, the more I fail to comprehend its unjust neglect. For me it’s an amalgam of the Russian nationalism of his mentor Balakirev and the virtuosity of Liszt. Undoubtedly much of it is technically challenging, yet its intense lyricism and rhapsodic narrative is positively compelling.

Three of the pieces here are receiving their premiere recording. Lyapunov purloined Schumann’s title Novelette for his Op. 18, closely following the structure of the second of the older composer’s Op. 21 set of eight. Clearly Schumann’s influence lurks in the background, but the piece also has a strong Russian accent. It’s characterized by unbridled virtuosity, Noack injecting plenty of energy and power into his bold rendition. The Humoresque Op. 34 truly lives up to its name. Frolicsome, humorous and even capricious, its pointed staccatos invest it with a mischievous quality. The sombre and plaintive disposition of Chant du Crépuscule, Op. 22 is Russian through and through.

Dreamy and reflective aptly sums up the Barcarolle, Op. 46. The Three Pieces, Op. 1 consist of an Étude, an Intermezzo and a Valse. The Étude, my favourite, is beguiling, and Noack’s incandescent playing of it is seductive. His rhythmic buoyancy in the Valse is also a convincing and winning element. The Seven Preludes, Op. 6, despite their brevity, encompass a wide emotional range. They should be played as a set due to the tonal relationship of each being linked by a pattern of descending thirds. No. 3 is quite bleak and gloomy, whilst No. 5 effuses geniality and charm, the pianist’s diaphanous finger-work glistening and evoking sunshine. No. 7 ends the cycle with an energetic romp to the finishing line. With the four Fêtes de Noël, Op. 41 you’re in for a treat. They capture the wide-eyed innocence and wonder of Christmas. Noack relishes the lyricism of this surfeit of delights, his sensitive pedalling painting these appealing miniatures in varied pastel shades. The Variations and Fugue on a Russian folk theme Op. 49 I didn’t enjoy so much. As a work I find it a little dry and academic.

This generously filled disc comes in top of the range sound. I’m very taken by the piano, which has been expertly voiced. Its rich, resonant tone is complemented by a warm and sympathetic acoustic. Noack clearly has an affinity with this music and is to be lauded for championing these rarely aired scores. This is the second volume of Lyapunov’s piano music he has recorded; the first included the Valse-Impromptus, Mazurkas, a Tarantella and a Valse Pensive. We are told that his intentions are to record the composer’s complete piano oeuvre. I can’t wait for the Transcendental Études. (Stephen Greenbank)

Florian Noack SERGEI LYAPUNOV Works for Piano Vol. 1

The young Belgian pianist Florian Noack devotes Volume 1 of what promises to be the complete solo piano music of Sergey Lyapunov (1859-1924) to dance forms. Each of the three Valse-impromptus are placed judiciously between the eight Mazurkas grouped in pairs. He opens with Valse pensive, Op 20, whose influence is audible to the extent that, notwithstanding Lyapunov’s independent voice, there is in almost every piece what sounds like a thematic reference to Islamey: a figure of a quaver triplet/two quavers/crotchet appears almost like a leitmotif.

The shortest work is the Second Valse-impromptu, a feather-light confection à la Moszkowski (‘a bibelot of exquisite craftsmanship’ says the booklet) with some delightfully casual canonic episodes that Noack invests with great charm. Here and elsewhere he gets to the heart of this music, responding to such instructions as quasi flauto and then quasi piccolo in the middle section of the Fifth Mazurka with finesse. The Tarantella, Op 25, in which Lyapunov’s pianistic heritage of Chopin, Liszt, Henselt and Balakirev is combined in one fearsome moto perpetuo, is thrillingly dispatched. The lush piano sound is a joy. ARS Produktion’s booklet is translated into a strange version of English with terms that will fox the uninitiated (eg the ‘Myxolydian pedal’ in the Fifth Mazurka) and confound even a Scrabble champion: the Seventh Mazurka is, apparently, ‘assuredly zal’.

No such head-scratching with Toccata Classics – Margarita Glebov is as fascinating on the composer as Donald Manildi is on the music, nine works which Glebov plays in chronological order, beginning with Three Pieces, Op 1 (1888). Like the later tumultuous Scherzo, Op 45 (1911) – with that Islamey-esque leitmotif again – and the Sonatina, Op 65 (1917), these are first recordings.

If her tone is marginally less effulgent than Noack’s, Glebov’s affinity with Lyapunov’s distinctive brand of lyrical virtuosity, couched firmly in the language of the late 19th century, is complete. The remainder of her programme duplicates the three Valse impromptus and four of the eight mazurkas played by Noack, though the two pianists differ significantly on some tempi: Mazurkas Nos 1 and 2, for instance, are 4'26" and 5'12" (Noack), 3'31" and 6'02" (Glebov). So which disc to choose? It would assuredly be zal to have both. (Gramophone)