25years New on Naxos The World’s Leading Label

FEBRUARY 2012

Also Available on Blu-ray Audio This Month’s Other Highlights © Mark Dellas

© 2012 Naxos Rights International Limited ∙ Contact Us: [email protected] www.naxos.com ∙ www.classicsonline.com ∙ www.naxosmusiclibrary.com New on Naxos | FEBRUARY 2012

8.572441 Playing Time: 76:45

Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907) String Quartet in G minor Op 27 (arr Alf Årdal) String Quartet in F major (arr Alf Årdal) Arne NORDHEIM (1931-2010) • Rendezvous Camerata • Stephan Barratt-Due

Grieg’s String Quartet in G minor has long established itself as one of the finest such works of the second half of the nineteenth century. The distinction of its thematic material, and its use in cyclical form, is reinforced by an ultimately victorious motto theme. The F major Quartet was written later, but remained unfinished, but it too is a fertile creation with a strong dance profile. Both works are heard in Alf Årdal’s imaginative arrangements for string orchestra. Arne Nordheim, ’s leading living composer, wrote Rendezvous as a quartet but expanded it in 1986. It is an intense, moving, and beautifully crafted work.

Stephan Barratt-Due has been artistic director of the Barratt Due Institute of Music since 1985, a conservatory in Oslo founded in 1927 by his grandparents and now one of the main educational institutions of music in Norway. Barratt-Due is among the leading violin professors in Scandinavia, and under his leadership the Oslo Camerata has become increasingly in demand both nationally and internationally.

Companion Titles

8.550879 8.557890 8.570840 8.570871-72 © Dag Thorenfeldt

2 New on Naxos | FEBRUARY 2012

JoAnn Falletta

8.559705 Playing Time: 58:39

George GERSHWIN (1898-1937) • Concerto in F Rhapsody No 2 • I Got Rhythm Variations Orion Weiss, piano Buffalo Philharmonic • JoAnn Falletta

George Gershwin’s Concerto in F was a response to demands for a ‘proper concerto’ after the success of Rhapsody in Blue, avoiding programmatic content while providing a feast of tunes both uplifting and nostalgic. Originally intended as music for a film, his up-beat Rhapsody No. 2 describes the bustling Manhattan cityscape while under construction. Sourced from his hit musical Girl Crazy, I Got Rhythm Variations was Gershwin’s last full score. Pianist Orion Weiss is one of the most sought-after soloists and collaborators of his generation of young American musicians.

Pianist Orion Weiss holds a leading position among American musicians of his generation. His impressive list of awards includes the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year Award, the Gilmore © Mark Dellas - JoAnn Falletta Young Artist Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Gina Bachauer Scholarship at The Juilliard School and the Mieczysław Munz Scholarship. JoAnn Falletta serves as Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic and Virginia Symphony in the United States and Principal Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra in Northern Ireland. Her Naxos recordings include the double GRAMMY® Award winning disc of works by John Corigliano and GRAMMY® nominated discs of works of Tyberg, Dohnányi, Fuchs, Schubert, and Respighi.

Also Available on Blu-ray Audio

Orion Weiss © Leslie van Stelten - Orion Weiss

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3 New on Naxos | FEBRUARY 2012

Krzysztof PENDERECKI (b 1933) Sinfoniettas • Oboe Capriccio Artur Pachlewski, clarinet • Jean-Louis Capezzali, oboe Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra • Antoni Wit

Three Pieces in Old Style • Serenade • Sinfonietta No 1 Intermezzo for 24 strings • Capriccio for Oboe and String Orchestra Sinfonietta No 2

Composed over a period of some thirty years, the six string works in this programme cover the full stylistic range of Penderecki’s towering compositional career. The Sinfoniettas are transcriptions of two chamber works, impassioned in texture, courting elegy and terse gesture alike. With the Three Pieces in Old Style we are in the world of Baroque pastiche, whereas introspective intensity runs through the Serenade of 1997. Radicalism informs the Intermezzo whilst the Capriccio, written a decade earlier, reveals Penderecki’s lighter, more piquant side in scintillating fashion. ‘Antoni Wit’s Penderecki series for Naxos has been uniformly excellent… Top recommendation’. (ClassicsToday.com on 8.572032)

Antoni Wit, one of the most highly regarded Polish conductors, studied conducting with Henryk Czyz and composition with Krzysztof Penderecki at the Academy of Music in Kraków, subsequently continuing his studies with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. In 2002 he became managing and artistic director of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.

8.572212 Playing Time: 58:10 Companion Titles

8.557980 8.570450 8.572211 8.572032

BARGAIN OF WANT LIST THE MONTH © J. Multarzynski

4 New on Naxos | FEBRUARY 2012

Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Complete Orchestral Works [9 CDs boxed set] Orchestre National de Lyon • Jun Märkl

This collection contains all Debussy’s works for orchestra as well as many orchestral arrangements of his piano music. Together these display a rich panorama of Debussian sound and a remarkable insight into the composer. Established arrangements by Debussy’s contemporaries, including Ravel and Caplet, are complemented by more recent arrangements from composers such as Colin Matthews and Robin Holloway. The conductor Jun Märkl believes that Debussy ‘set up a model of orchestration for the rest of the twentieth century’ and it is with this conviction that he draws from the Orchestre National de Lyon such ‘world-class playing’ (American Record Guide).

Jun Märkl took up his job as musical director of the Lyon National Orchestra in September 2005, and in 2007/8 he became principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the MDR Sinfonieorchester.

8.509002 Playing Time: 9:08:49

‘A richly satisfying collection, immaculately recorded, with its full measure of rarities.’ Gramophone on CD 2

‘This conductor/orchestra partnership is clearly something out of the ordinary…’ Fanfare on CD 3

‘These treasurable pieces have never sounded finer on disc.’ Classic FM on CD 5

5 New on Naxos | FEBRUARY 2012

Leonardo BALADA (b 1933) Caprichos No 1 ‘Homage to Federico García Lorca’ Caprichos No 5 ‘Homage to Isaac Albéniz’ A Little Night Music in Harlem • Reflejos Bertrand Piertrand Piétu, guitar • Aldo Mata, • Tatiana Franco, flute Iberian Chamber Orchestra • José Luis Temes

Catalan-born Leonardo Balada fuses tradition with modernity and folk with the avant-garde, producing music of stunning sonorities. Caprichos No. 1 pays homage to the poet Lorca in a blend of virtuosic writing and transformative dance rhythms. In Caprichos No. 5, based on Albéniz’s piano music, distorted melodies are revealed, as well as instruments engaging in exciting duels. A Little Night Music in Harlem sees Mozart translated via surrealist sleight of hand, whilst Reflejos balances lament with typically incendiary brilliance.

José Luis Temes has conducted almost all Spanish and many foreign orchestras, and in his career as a conductor has directed the premières of some 300 works. He has recorded over seventy albums, often of Spanish contemporary music. In 2008 he was awarded the National Prize of for Music Performance.

Companion Titles BALADA Caprichos Nos 2, 3 and 4 8.572176 BALADA No-res (Nothing), Ebony Fantasies 8.557343 8.572625 Playing Time: 73:20 BALADA María Sabina 8.570425 BALADA Cristóbal Colón 8.660237-38 7 47313 26257 1

World Première Recordings Tomás MARCO (b 1942) • Symphonies No 2 ‘Espacio cerrado’ • No 9 ‘Thalassa’* • No 8 ‘Gaia’s Dance’* Malaga Philharmonic • José Serebrier

* World Première Recordings

Madrid-born Tomás Marco is a multi award-winning and prolific composer whose compact Symphony No. 2 is a single ‘Espacio cerrado’ or ‘Closed Space’, expressed using a massive orchestra. As the subtitle ‘Gaia’s Dance’ suggests, the colourful and rhythmic Symphony No. 8 borrows elements of dances from different parts of the world. Marco’s Symphony No. 9 draws inspiration from the primeval sea spirit ‘Thalassa’, and combines studies in sonority with medieval music sources to create a work which unfolds in a single, extended breath.

GRAMMY®-winner conductor and composer José Serebrier is one of today’s most recorded classical artists. He has received 39 GRAMMY® nominations in recent years.

Companion Titles Benet CASABLANCAS The Dark Backward of Time 8.579002 Benet CASABLANCAS Seven Scenes from Hamlet 8.579004 Xavier BENGUEREL Concertante 8.572571 Lorenzo PALOMO Cantos del alma, Sinfonía a Granada 8.570420

8.572684 Playing Time: 61:58

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6 New on Naxos | FEBRUARY 2012

World Première Recordings Evening Songs Delius and Ireland Songs arranged for cello and piano , cello • Jiaxin Cheng, cello • John Lenehan, piano

Frederick DELIUS (1862-1934) Sunset • Birds in the High Hall Garden* • In the Seraglio Garden • Love’s Philosophy • Over the Mountains High • Serenade from Hassan • Through Long, Long Years • Little Birdie • Slumber Song • With Your Blue Eyes John IRELAND (1879-1962) Spring Sorrow • Evening Song* • Sea Fever • The Holy Boy • Baby • The Three Ravens • Hope • Ladslove • Summer Schemes • Her Song • In Summer Woods*

* World Première Recordings

Frederick Delius’s beautiful songs show his extraordinary gift for melody. John Ireland admired Delius enormously and his songs are inspired by a wide variety of literature, including his hugely popular setting of John Masefield’s Sea Fever. Renowned cellist Julian Lloyd Webber celebrates both composers’ remarkable melodic gifts in these sensitive arrangements, and pianist John Lenehan has received great acclaim for his Naxos recordings of Ireland’s complete piano music.

Julian Lloyd Webber is one of today’s leading cellists. He has given the premieres of more than fifty new works for cello and has inspired new compositions from composers as diverse as Malcolm Arnold and Joaquin Rodrigo to James MacMillan and 8.572902 Playing Time: 63:28 . His partnership with John Lenehan began in the mid-1970s and they have since given recitals together all over the world.

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Ernő DOHNÁNYI (1896-1981) • String Quartets No 3 in A minor, Op 33 • No 1 in A major, Op 7 Aviv Quartet

Shortly after his first successes as a concert pianist, Dohnányi brought outhis First Quartet in 1899. It is a mature work, acknowledging the influence of Brahms whilst also adopting writing that hints strongly at Dohnányi’s own Hungarian origins. It ranges widely and expressively, including both hymnal and folk elements in a richly rewarding way. The Third Quartet of 1926 is more harmonically questing and structurally sophisticated, and filled with vibrant melodies. Of the Aviv Quartet’s previous Naxos recording (8.570965 / Schulhoff) MusicWeb International wrote: ‘they sound simply fantastic… The playing is electric; no position is a weak link’.

Founded in Israel and a decade into its expanding musical life, the Aviv Quartet has counted among its mentors Isaac Stern, the Alban Berg Quartet, Walter Levin, Henry Meyer, and Ben-Zion Shamir and has collaborated with artists such as Yefim Bronfman, Elisso Virzaladze, Brigitte Engerer, Martin Frost, Boris Petrushansky, Torleif Thedeen, Boris Berman, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and many others.

Companion Titles DOHNÁNYI Winter Dances, Six Piano Pieces 8.554800 DOHNÁNYI Serenade for String Trio, Sextet 8.557153 DOHNÁNYI Violin Concertos Nos 1 and 2 8.570833 DOHNÁNYI Variations on a Nursery Song 8.572303 8.572569 Playing Time: 57:29

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7 New on Naxos | FEBRUARY 2012

Silvius Leopold WEISS (1687-1750) Lute Sonatas, Volume 11 Roberto Barto, lute

Sonata No 39 in C major ‘Partita Grande’ • Sonata No 96 in G major • Sonata No 30 in E flat major

Weiss – a contemporary of J. S. Bach – was the greatest lutenist of his age, whose music is largely in the mixed Italian/French style of the time. The Sonatas are prodigiously attractive works of great emotional power. No. 39 is majestic, revealing Weiss’s mastery of lyrical invention, whilst No. 96 is lighter – an elegant work probably conceived for teaching purposes. No. 30 illustrates precisely those qualities of agility, grace and expressive depth that lend his music so great an appeal. Robert Barto’s series has generated universal admiration, MusicWeb International praising ‘marvellously vivid performances, and beautifully recorded into the bargain’. (Vol. 10: 8.572219)

In 1984 Robert Barto was awarded first prize in the International Lute Competition in Toronto, as well as top prize of all instrumental soloists in the Musica Antiqua Competition in Bruges, Belgium. He has performed throughout Europe and North America including solo recitals at the Festival of Flanders, the Utrecht Festival, ‘Music Before 1800’ in New York City, as well as at ’s Purcell Room.

Companion Titles WEISS Lute Sonatas, Volume 7 8.557806 WEISS Lute Sonatas, Volume 8 8.570109 8.572680 Playing Time: 65:54 WEISS Lute Sonatas, Volume 9 8.570551 WEISS Lute Sonatas, Volume 10 8.572219

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Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Guitar Transcriptions by Graham Anthony Devine, guitar

Nun komm’ der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659 • Cello Suite No 4 in E flat major, BWV 1010 • Ich ruf’ zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639 • Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147: Jesus bleibet meine Freude • Violin Partita No 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 • Bist du bei mir, BWV 508 (attrib GH Stölzel)

From the nineteenth century transcriptions by to those by John Duarte and Rick Foster, the tradition of performing J.S. Bach’s music on the guitar has fashioned works of great beauty and transformative power. The two Chorale Preludes include the use of plucked strings, which impart serenity and clarity. The Cello Suite is especially well suited to the guitar, the aria-like beauty of its Sarabande being the height of elegance and nobility, whilst the Violin Partita No. 2, with its monumental Chaconne, translates to the guitar with hypnotic force. Graham Anthony Devine is one of the world’s foremost guitarists whose British Guitar Music (8.557040) was lauded as ‘a winner in all respects… beyond reproach’. (MusicWeb International)

In April 2002 Graham Anthony Devine won first prize at the Alhambra International Guitar Competition held in Alcoy, Spain, repeating this success one month later at the International Guitar Competition in . He is the only English guitarist to win either of these competitions.

Companion Titles British Guitar Music 8.557040 8.572740 Playing Time: 65:01 Manhã de Carnaval: Guitar Music from 8.557295 La Ciudad de las Columnas 8.570251 OHANA Music for Ten-String Guitar 8.570948 7 47313 27407 9

8 New on Naxos | FEBRUARY 2012

Karol Józef LIPIŃSKI (1790-1861) Three Capriccios Op 10 • Three Capriccios Op 27 Chen Xi, violin

Polish-born virtuoso Karol Józef Lipiński was recognized as one of the best violinists of the 19th century, rivalling Paganini for the title of greatest violinist in Europe. Lipiński dedicated his Capriccios, Op. 10 to Paganini, but ultimately combined Paganini’s innovations with the depth of Spohr, Tartini and Viotti’s musical philosophies to create his own unique style and avoid bravura display alone. The Capriccios, Op. 27 explore rich expression and tone as well as spectacular runs and double-stopping.

In 2002 the seventeen-year-old Chinese violinist Chen Xi was awarded the Silver Prize (with no Gold Prize awarded) at the Twelfth International Tchaikovsky Violin Competition in Moscow, the youngest top prizewinner in the history of the Competition. His other awards include victory in the Eighth Lipinski-Wieniawski International Violin Competition in Poland in 2000.

Companion Titles RODE 24 Caprices for Solo Violin 8.570958 HERMANN 3 Capriccios, Grand Duo Brillant 8.572066

8.572665 Playing Time: 73:33

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Converging Cultures: Music for Wind Band Fred Hamilton, guitar Lone Star Wind Orchestra • Eugene Migliaro Corporon

TURINA La Procession du Rocío • BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story • J BONNEY Chaos Theory • R NIXON Fiesta del Pacifico • CS KOH Korean Dances

This program brings the old world of festive Spain in Turina’s La Procession du Rocío into a meeting with Roger Nixon’s Californian ‘tonal fresco’ Fiesta del Pacifico. Chang Su Koh’s Korean Dances use exotic traditional rhythms, whereas Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances refer to Cuban cha-cha and the Mexican mambo. James Bonney’s Chaos Theory is a concerto for electric guitar which fuses hard- rock intensity with classical sophistication. The Lone Star Wind Orchestra’s American Tapestry album (8.570968) was described as ‘completely stunning.’ (MusicWeb International)

Eugene Migliaro Corporon is the Music Director and Conductor of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra. He is the conductor of the Wind Symphony and Regents Professor of Music at the University of North Texas. His performances have drawn praise from colleagues, composers and critics alike.

Companion Title American Tapestry 8.570968

8.572837 Playing Time: 72:24

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9 New on Naxos | FEBRUARY 2012

Francis POTT (b 1957) In the Heart of Things: Choral Music Grace Davidson, soprano • Commotio • Matthew Berry

Mass for Eight Parts • Mary’s Carol • A Hymn to the Virgin • I Sing of a Maiden • Ubi caritas • Balulalow • Lament

Composer and pianist Francis Pott is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards. His dramatic and emotionally challenging music unites a distinctive personal voice with a versatile technique rooted in a keen awareness of the past. His Mass expands on tonal frames of reference from Byrd and Tallis, incorporating a poignant Agnus Dei written as a memorial to Dr Anabela Bravo. Mary’s Carol and Lament are also tender commemorations, the latter for one of the quiet heroes of the Afghanistan conflict. These deeply expressive works give a distinctive modern voice to the timeless mysteries of human experience.

Recipient of four national awards for composition, Francis Pott gained First Prize in the solo piano section of the Prokofiev International Composing Competition, Moscow in 1997. From 1991 to 2001 he was John Bennett Lecturer in Music at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. In 2001 he became Head of London College of Music, University of West London, acceding in 2007 to the University’s first Chair of Composition.

Companion Titles BINGHAM The Secret Garden, Salt in the Blood, First Light 8.570346 MACMILLAN Seven Last Words from the Cross 8.570719 8.572739 Playing Time: 66:58 RÜTTI 8.572317 WHITBOURN Living Voices, Son of God Mass 8.572737 7 47313 27397 3

William Vincent WALLACE (1812-1865) Celtic Fantasies Rosemary Tuck, piano • *Richard Bonynge, piano

The Yellow Hair’d Laddie and Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad • Brilliant Fantasia on My Nanny, O! and My Ain Kind Dearie and Bonnie Dundee • The Gloomy Night is Gathering Fast and The Lass o’ Gowrie • Go Where the Glory Waits Thee and Love’s Young Dream • When Ye Gang Awa’ Jamie • The Harp That Once Through Tara’s Halls and Fly Not Yet • Desmond’s Song • Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms and An Irish Melody • The Blue Bells of Scotland • Fantaisie brillante de Salon pour piano sur des Melodies Ecossaises Roy’s Wife and We’re a’ Noddin’ • John Anderson My Jo and Thou Hast Left Me Forever, Jamie • The Weary Pund o’ Tow and There’s Nae Luck About This House • Flow On, Thou Shining River and Nora Creina • Maggie Lauder • Rondino on the Scotch Melody Bonnie Prince Charlie • Kinloch of Kinloch and I’m O’er Young to Marry Yet • Scots Wha Hae • Home Sweet Home – Ballade • Ye Banks and Braes* • Auld Robin Gray and The Boatie Rows

Wallace was, from his youth, steeped in Irish and Scottish traditional music. In 1848, five years after his brilliant successes in New York as a virtuoso pianist, he published his first set of arrangements, others following almost to the year of his death. In these ingenious and lovely works, written for the burgeoning domestic market, he avoids sentimentality, concentrating instead on warmth, wit, a touch of self-quotation, and brilliance. Rosemary Tuck and Richard Bonynge are the world’s leading interpreters of Wallace’s music. Volume 1 is available on 8.572774.

In 2001, Rosemary Tuck gave the first official performance in the William Vincent Wallace Millennium Plaza in Waterford, Ireland and has appeared in an all Wallace programme in London conducted by Richard Bonynge. Her previous recordings include music by Liadov, Ketèlbey and Wallace. 8.572775 Playing Time:78:03 Companion Titles HUMMEL At the Opera 8.572736 7 5 THALBERG Fantasies on Operas by Bellini 8.555498 47313 27757 WALLACE Lurline 8.660293-94 WALLACE Maritana 8.660308-09

10 New on Naxos | FEBRUARY 2012

Pyotr Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Eighteen Piano Pieces, Op 72 Konstantin Shamray, piano

Tchaikovsky completed his last set of piano pieces about six months before his death. Each bears a dedication to a friend or colleague including distinguished musicians such as Paul Pabst, Vasily Sapelnikov and Vasily Safonov. The 18 pieces are no mere salon effusions; rather they are richly characterised, sometimes virtuosic, and perfectly crafted miniatures. Schumann and Chopin are deliberately evoked, the music embracing a rich variety of dance, melancholy, fantasy and bravura. The set is played by the brilliant young prizewinner of the Sydney International Piano Competition in 2008, Konstantin Shamray.

Since winning the Concertino-Prague international competition in 2000, Konstantin Shamray has appeared throughout Russia, Europe and the United States, and in China, in recitals and as a soloist with leading orchestras. Overwhelming triumph in 2008 in the Sydney International Piano Competition, with six special prizes, brought three successful tours in all states of Australia, in New Zealand and Singapore. In October 2011 he won first prize in the German Bad Kissingen KlavierOlympiade.

Companion Titles TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No 2, Concert Fantasy 8.557824 TCHAIKOVSKY Complete Songs, Volume 4 8.570409 8.570418 8.572225 Playing Time: 67:09 TCHAIKOVSKY Ballet Suites (trans. for piano four hands) TCHAIKOVSKY The Seasons, Sonata in C sharp minor 8.570787

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Antonio SOLER (1729-1783) Keyboard Sonatas Nos 16-27 Vestard Shimkus, piano

Sonata No 16 in E flat major • Sonata No 17 in E flat major • Sonata No 18 in C minor • Sonata No 19 in C minor • Sonata No 20 in C sharp minor • Sonata No 21 in C sharp minor • Sonata No 22 in D flat major • Sonata No 23 in D flat major • Sonata No 24 in D minor • Sonata No 25 in D minor • Sonata No 26 in E minor • Sonata No 27 in E minor

This collection completes the 27 sonatas by Padre Antonio Soler which make up his contribution to the Fitzwilliam manuscript. Nos. 1–15 are available on Naxos 8.572515. These bipartite sonatas contain prime examples of Soler’s theories of modulation, from elegant “slow” passing between notes to “agitated” extremes of contrast. The result is constant surprise, both in spectacular technique and expressive depth. Awardwinning pianist Vestard Shimkus has been described as “a phenomenon” (conductor Paavo Järvi), “superb” (American Record Guide) and “inspired” (BBC.co.uk website).

Vestard Shimkus began to win international recognition after his début with the BBC Philharmonic, the French National Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Kremerata Baltica, Borodin Quartet, and appearances in major concert halls throughout Europe and the USA. Awards include first prizes in the Concurso Internacional de Música Maria Canals in 2009 and the 5th Bad Kissingen KlavierOlympiade in in 2007.

Companion Titles SOLER Sonatas for Harpsichord, Volume 11 8.557640 8.572516 Playing Time: 59:43 SOLER Sonatas for Harpsichord, Volume 12 8.557937 SOLER Sonatas for Harpsichord, Volume 13 8.570292 SOLER Keyboard Sonatas Nos 1-15 8.572515 7 47313 25167 4

11 New on Naxos | FEBRUARY 2012

Igor STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky 1940 & 1946 Recordings Mark Obert-Thorn, producer and audio restoration engineer

Firebird – Suite (1910; rev 1945) • Petrushka – Suite (1911) • The Rite of Spring (1913)

This programme brings together the three great ballets which Stravinsky composed for Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev. These vibrantly atmospheric scores were all revised after their Parisian premières, and the 1945 version of the Firebird Suite was still brand new at the time of this recording. In what are widely considered to be the best of his commercial recordings of these works, Stravinsky the conductor brings out the expressive and vividly incisive rhythmic strengths of the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York.

Producer’s Note • Igor Stravinsky made three sets of commercial recordings of his three great early ballet scores. The first was made in the late 1920s with rather ragged-sounding French and British ensembles and less conducting experience on the composer’s part. The last set was made in stereo in the early 1960s with a pick-up orchestra of Los Angeles musicians at a time when the conductor was at an advanced age. The present series, made midway between the other two, is generally considered his best. It features an ensemble of high quality (Barbirolli’s New York Philharmonic), and the composer is on his best podium form. 8.112070 Playing Time:73:40

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Great Singers • Kathleen Ferrier (1912-1953) JS BACH St Matthew Passion Cantata ‘Hold in affection Jesus Christ’ BWV 67 1947-1949 Recordings Mark Obert-Thorn, producer and audio restoration engineer

Kathleen Ferrier was one of the greatest British singers of the 20th century. Her performances of the St Matthew Passion were the stuff of legend, and she herself said, ‘You’ve never heard me sing if you haven’t heard me in Bach.’ In 1947 she began a series of sessions to record the Matthew Passion, but several factors, including a full diary of concert engagements at home and abroad, meant that the recording was not completed until June 1948. The 1949 recording of Bach’s Cantata ‘Hold in affection Jesus Christ’, BWV 67 made to mark the bicentenary of the composer’s death, here receives its first ever release on CD.

Producer’s Note • The Cantata was transferred from its LP incarnation, which contained uncut versions of some items which were truncated to fit the contemporaneous 78rpm release. It appears here on CD for the first time. The source for the St Matthew Passion was Decca’s LP transfer, presumably taken from their 78rpm metal parts, first published in 1960. Although there are flaws in that transfer (most noticeably the manual splice-editing of clicks and pops during sustained wind or low string notes), the overall result is much cleaner than it would have been using Decca’s noisier-than-average shellac 78s. I have removed more of the clicks and pops that were left on that transfer, and also re-equalized it to try 8.111373-75 Playing Time: to give a better focus and warmth to the sound. 3h:06:58

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12 New on Naxos | FEBRUARY 2012

Idil Biret Archive Edition, Vol 12 Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Six Moments musicaux, Op 16 • Variations sur un thème de Corelli, Op 42 Three Preludes, Op 32 Nos 1, 5, 12 Idil Biret, piano ‘My teacher Nadia Boulanger was absolutely against Rachmaninov’s music, and when I was asked to play the Third Concerto, this was for her the worst catastrophe that could possibly happen… But, I find a great nobility in Rachmaninov’s music, and when I worked with Mlle Boulanger on his Corelli Variations, she started changing her opinion completely.’ – Idil Biret in her memoirs, 2006

‘Astonishing piano recordings: Rachmaninov’s Paganini Variations, Op. 43 for piano and orchestra is a popular work, but one almost never hears his equally estimable Corelli Variations, Op. 42 for solo piano. These Decca recordings by the young Turkish pianist Idil Biret are a remarkable, sparkling demonstration of talent: her Rachmaninov is brilliant, direct, bright... She is never daunted and avoids kitsch. And the 6 Moments musicaux, Op. 16 is no less a discovery…’ – Joachim Kaiser, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 1974 8.571289 Playing Time: 55:56 ‘Idil Biret’s complete Rachmaninov is unsurpassed for aristocratic, passionate pianism and exacting musicianship.’ – Richard Dyer, Boston Globe, 2000

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World Première Recording Louis SPOHR (1784-1859) String Quartets (Complete), Vol 15 No 19 in A major, Op 68* • No 22 in D minor, Op 74 No 3 Concertino String Quartet • New Budapest Quartet * World Première Recording Spohr was a prolific quartet composer, his body of work forming an important collection. HisQuartet No. 19 is the fourth of his Quatuors brillants, chamber concertos designed to allow the first violinist, Spohr himself, to flaunt his virtuoso credentials. He ensures, however, that flourish is balanced by expressive themes and songful warmth Quartet No. 22 is one of his greatest compositions, notable not only for its broad, sweeping, even sensual themes tinged with pathos, but for the masterful use of counterpoint and virtuoso elements within a magnificently unified whole. The American Record Guide wrote of the Concertino String Quartet’s recording of Nos. 9 and 17: ‘Their tuning, intonation, technique, ensemble, sensitivity, and depth of expression result in total musicality.’ (8.225315)

8.225981 Playing Time: 63:20 Also in this Series SPOHR String Quartets (Complete), Vol 13 8.225315 SPOHR String Quartets (Complete), Vol 14 8.225982 6 36943 59812 2

George GERSHWIN (1898-1937) Concerto in F Rhapsody No 2 • I Got Rhythm Variations Orion Weiss, piano • Buffalo Philharmonic • JoAnn Falletta

24-bit, 96 kHz Stereo and Surround Recordings

George Gershwin’s Concerto in F was a response to demands for a ‘proper concerto’ after the success 24-bit, 96 kHz Stereo and Surround recordings of Rhapsody in Blue, avoiding programmatic content while providing a feast of tunes both uplifting and nostalgic. Originally intended as music for a film, his up-beat Rhapsody No. 2 describes the bustling Manhattan cityscape while under construction. Sourced from his hit musical Girl Crazy, I Got Rhythm Variations was Gershwin’s last full score. Pianist Orion Weiss is one of the most soughtafter soloists and collaborators of his generation of young American musicians.

For more information, visit the Naxos Blu-ray Audio Page

NBD0025 Playing Time: 58:39

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A Musical Journey: • AUSTRIA • GERMANY • ITALY Music by Mahler

The Places • The journey starts in Switzerland, in the canton of Thurgau, leading from Steckborn and the Bodensee to the Rhine Falls. From Styria, in Austria, comes Hochosterwitz Castle and from Bavaria Weikersheim Castle, the latter intercut with wild life from the Austrian Assling Nature Park. The tour ends amid the strangely shaped mountains of the Dolomites in Southern Tyrol, a region divided between Austria and Italy.

The Music • In a remarkable way Mahler, in his symphonies and songs, has seemed to reflect the twentieth century in all its bewildering variety and has now won an established place in concert repertoire. Distinguished as a conductor, his fame as a composer has grown over the years since his death. The music included here is Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, nick-named Titan, not for its massive power, but after the book by Jean Paul, a strong influence over earlier romantics and over Mahler at this stage in his career. The symphony breathes the spirit of the Austrian countryside, reflected in Mahler’s songs.

NTSC / Colour / 4:3 Video Format • Cat. No.: 2.110550 DTS 5.1 / Dolby Digital 5.1 / PCM Stereo 2.0 Audio Format • Playing Time: 54:32 Region Coding • No Region Coding

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A Musical Journey: NORWAY A Musical Tour of Troldhaugen, Bergen and the Norwegian Landscape Music by Grieg

The Places • The tour of Norway takes us to the countryside, with its mountains, lakes, fjords, rivers and waterfalls. We see Edvard Grieg’s house at Troldhaugen, and then Bergen, Grieg’s birthplace, with its colourful traditional houses.

The Music • The music chosen for this tour of Norway is by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, and includes his popular Piano Concerto in A minor, as well as his Two Elegiac Melodies, with other pieces.

Video Format • NTSC / Colour / 4:3 Audio Format • DTS 5.1 / Dolby Digital 5.1 / PCM Stereo 2.0 Region Coding • No Region Coding Cat. No.: 2.110274 Playing Time: 56:27

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A Musical Journey: ITALY A Musical Tour of Tuscany, Umbria and Rome Music by Mendelssohn

The Places • Our tour of Italy starts in the countryside near Orvieto, moves to the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, then to Montalcino and its ancient abbey. We see the Tuscan landscape around Montepulciano, glimpse Siena and finally see something of the historic buildings of Florence.

The Music • As part of his Grand Tour of Europe, the young Felix Mendelssohn visited Italy in the autumn of 1830 and it was there that he began his Italian Symphony, completed in 1833 in Berlin and first performed in that year in London. His Violin Concerto in E minor was completed in 1844 and remains an essential element in any violinist’s solo repertoire.

Video Format • NTSC / Colour / 4:3 Audio Format • DTS 5.1 / Dolby Digital 5.1 / PCM Stereo 2.0 Cat. No.: 2.110276 Region Coding • No Region Coding Playing Time: 56:47

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