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ALSO AVAILABLE ON signumclassics

Ragtime & Blue Brahms and Schumann Haydn Piano Sonatas Elena Kats-Chernin - Piano John Lill - Piano John Lill - Piano SIGCD058 SIGCD075 SIGCD097

Elena Kats-Chernin is a composer who Much-loved , John Lill, plays John Lill returns to take the listener on a defies categorisation: a virtuosic pianist touchstones of the 19th-century romantic journey through the many moods of Haydn, and improviser, her compositions flow piano tradition. Lill is at his sparkling in brilliant performances of some from her like a fountain. This CD is best in this wonderful repertoire. composer’s most intriguing works for drawn from the small works she often the keyboard. writes for her own enjoyment - a cornucopia of rags, blues and heart- melting melodies.

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MESSIAEN: CHAMBER WORKS MESSIAEN: CHAMBER WORKS

The general perception of Messiaen is of a always turned up at class with mountains of work 1. Fantaisie [8.59] composer who lived in some rarefied atmosphere (not guaranteed to ensure popularity!) and was of his own, floating far above the mundane, recognised as a young man likely to succeed. But Quatuor pour la fin du Temps material world. Given his preoccupation with any view of Messiaen as vague or indecisive in his 2. Liturgie de cristal [2.37] esoteric rhythms, sound-colours, theology and opinions needs to be set against the truth - for all birdsong, this is perhaps a reasonable judgment his pacific demeanour (and, in later years, 3. Vocalise, pour l’Ange qui annonce la fin du Temps [5.04] and, to some extent, true: he admitted that he had anyway, enormous charm) he was quite capable of 4. Abîme des oiseaux [8.21] never liked living in and would much prefer describing Stravinsky’s Apollon musagète in a 5. Intermède [1.48] to be on some desert island without traffic or a published interview as ‘Lully with wrong bass 6. Louange à l’Éternité de Jésus [7.26] telephone. All the same, he did hold down a notes’ and damning the slow of movement of 7. Danse de la fureur, pour les sept trompettes [6.08] demanding teaching post at the Paris Conservatoire Ravel’s immensely popular G major Concerto as 8. Fouillis d’arcs-en-ciel, pour l’Ange qui annonce la fin du Temps [7.21] for over 40 years and was organist at the Church turning ‘a phrase reminiscent of Fauré on a bad 9. Louange à l’Immortalité de Jésus [6.56] of the Sainte-Trinité in Paris for over 60. Four of day into Massenet’. the five chamber works recorded here duly testify 10. [6.24] to his close practical involvement with what we The Fantaisie for violin and piano, dating from like to call the ‘real world’. 1933, was the second of the two works Messiaen 11. Pièce pour piano et quatuor à cordes [3.07] wrote for Claire and himself to play, following the In June 1932, at the age of 23, Messiaen married Thème et Variations of 1932. It was not published 12. Morceau de lecture à vue World Premiere Recording [1.59] the violinist , who had studied at the until 2007, having been disinterred by Yvonne Schola Cantorum, the teaching institution Loriod-Messiaen (whom the composer married

Total Timings [66.38] founded and directed by Vincent d’Indy. Messiaen after Claire’s death in 1959) from the mass of had just been appointed to La Trinité and was materials left behind at his death. The opening beginning to make a name for himself, especially paragraph, for loud piano octaves, is decisiveness MATTHEW SCHELLHORN piano with his orchestral piece Les Offrandes oubliées, itself, even if the fluctuating time signatures SOLOISTS OF THE PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA premiered in February 1931. Later reminiscences by (13/8, 10/8, 11/8 etc.) proclaim his early interest fellow pupils record that he was quiet, self-contained, in rhythms that were at the opposite extremes www.signumrecords.com - 3 - 126booklet 13/5/08 11:28 Page 5

from the pounding regularities of the dance floor. of 1944 (a further instance of the composer 1940 for Messiaen in a German camp in Silesia. the Angel of the Apocalypse ‘who raises a hand to (We can speculate that this stirringJésus melody’s later recycling material); the whole piece radiates the Locked in a wash-house with manuscript paper, the heavens, saying, “There shall be no more use in ‘Alléuias sereins d’une âme qui désire sort of lushness that was to upset so many critics pencils and dry bread, he proceeded to write, for time”’. However, Messiaen made it clear that a le ciel’, the second movement of L’Ascension of after the war. himself and the three other more-than-capable specific, local application was not what lay behind 1932-3, was one of the reasons the Fantaisie was instrumentalists available, one of the twentieth the score, but rather an ‘end’ on the much larger not published during the composer’s lifetime.) The Looking back now over the whole of Messiaen’s century’s most extraordinary masterpieces. scale envisaged by the Angel - ‘the abolition of overall shape of this paragraph, which contains composing life, we can see that one of the most time itself, something infinitely mysterious and much of the material for the whole work, recalls profound changes he brought about in Western For any prisoner anywhere, it is only to be expected incomprehensible to most of the philosophers of plainsong, but a plainsong expanded to include European music, more radical even than his that the experience of time should be altered. But time, from Plato to Bergson’. In detail, the songs chromatic intervals, as in much of his later music. discoveriesBanquet céleste, in the fields of harmony and colour, for a prisoner of war, with no set term to his of birds in the score help destroy the traditional Perhaps the most noticeable ingredients in the was in the perception of time. At the age of imprisonment, that experience must be further symmetry of phrases and paragraphs, as do the piece are the common chords that regularly provide seventeen, in 1926, he wrote the organ piece Le distorted by the process of waiting and, for most sporadic permutations of rhythmic patterns: the resting places for the discourse, whether unadorned which was the first of many such prisoners, by anxiety. For Messiaen, though, first movement, for example, stops at what to or decorated with elegantly dissonant tracery. The extremely slow movements in which the very anxiety was a foreign country - his profound many listeners will seem to be a wholly arbitrary basic key of G major, touched on from time to time, notionéternelle of pulse comes under threat. During the Roman Catholic faith allowed him to leave the point, whatever purely mathematical justification is at last emphatically announced as the final goal. 1930s, other works such as Apparition de l’église future in the hands of God, and no listener to the can be provided by the analyst. Elsewhere continued in a similar vein, but it is fair Quatuor can mistake the positive, life-affirming Messiaen’s technique of adding small, irregular Before the Second World War Messiaen taught for to say that he made no new breakthrough on this spirit of each and every bar. Reminiscences of rhythmic values to longer ones disrupts any end- a time at the École Normale de Musique and in front until the Quatuor pour la fin du Temps fellow-prisoners testify both to Messiaen’s directed pulse (for example, at the beginning of 1934 he wrote a Morceau de lecture à vue - a (‘Quartet for the end of Time’). equanimity and spiritual strength in captivity and the ‘vigorous, granite-like’ sixth movement, in sight-reading piece - for the piano exams there. to the impact the first performance of this work which the harmonic spectrum contracts Even if he had pity on the students’ rhythmic The circumstances of the work’s composition are had on the 400 prisoners in Hut 27B on 15 January arrestingly into naked single notes and octaves, capabilities (the piece is in 6/8 throughout), there striking enough for them to have made a niche for 1941; as the composer himself said, ‘I was never the first two bars contain 17 and 13 semiquavers are plenty of accidentals to sort out, often through themselves in twentieth-century musical history. listened to with such attention and understanding.’ respectively, arranged as 2+2+2+1+2+2+4 and his use of what he rather cumbersomely called his Composers frequently complain that, what with 2+2+1+2+1+1+4, with the underlined value ‘second mode of limited transposition’, a scale of promotional appearances, committees and the If faith expels anxiety, it permits hope. The ‘end of being the disruptive element). alternating tones and semitones. The opening like, they have a job to find enough uninterrupted time’ of the title might reasonably be taken to five-note motif would later be developed into the time for composition. In a prisoner-of-war camp refer partly to the hoped-for end of Messiaen’s The work’s symbolism is too rich to be done full ‘Theme of Love’ in the Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant- such distractions are absent - as they were in incarceration, even if the explicit reference is to justice in a programme note. But perhaps the

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most important point about it, implicated in the had to compose backwards, inventing causes for can’t be expected to follow this in detail, the lack of any anxiety or hurry, is that Messiaen here pre-existent effects. There are no birds in these increasing excitement is palpable. turns his back more resolutely than in any of his two movements, no complicated rhythms, no et quatuor à cordes previous works on the Austro-German tradition of trumpets or rainbows; instead, we are invited to Finally, Messiaen wrote the Pièce pour piano development, of striving and working for an end, share in two complementary, ecstatic meditations (‘Piece for piano and string as he lays a gentle yet authoritative hand on our on Jesus as the Word and as the Word made flesh; quartet’) not for any particular performers, but for brow and invites us to contemplate the mystery of and, in the final slow climb of the violin to its the 90th birthday of Alfred Schlee, head for 40 the life to come. In the seventh movement, he even high, ethereal E harmonic, on ‘the ascent of man years of Universal Edition, which had published draws on his colourful prison dreams, induced by towards his God, of the child of God to his Father’. Cantéyodjayâ and . As with cold and hunger, to give body to the cluster of much of the composer’s later music, the structure rainbows that appears on the Angel’s head. And Le Merle noir (‘The Blackbird’), like the Morceau is audibly sectional and follows his favourite of course, as is well known, rainbows too have for piano, was written for students, this time for pattern of a palindrome operating around a no end. those taking the final flute exam at the unique centre. Five sections (four notes on unison Conservatoire in 1952. It was commissioned by strings; piano chords; tutti chords; three bars of The long accompanied solos for cello and violin the director, Claude Delvincourt, in line with his string canon; piano tune) lead to a fast, central that form the fifth and eighth movements are, one policy of bringing some fresh air into the piano solo representing the song of Messiaen’s might say, rewards for our attention in numbers institution’s stuffy classrooms by introducing favourite Garden Warbler; then the five sections 1-4 and 6-7; or, rather, they are musical avant-garde musical ideas, from which French recur in reverse order and slightly varied. Such expressions of the feelings those more eventful musical life under the Nazi Occupation had been simplicity is perhaps recommended only for and colourful movements have stirred within us. almost completely isolated. The piece is in three geniuses with a long creative life behind them. This is all the more remarkable given that these sections, the second a slightly extended variation two movements are in fact transcriptions, of the first, followed by a coda. Each of the main © 2008 Roger Nichols presumably from memory, of movements already sections is divided into six subsections - piano vif For more information on the life and works of visit written before the war: number 5 comes from a atmosphere; bird cadenza; combined song; www.oliviermessiaen.org. Photo: Nigel Simeone, private collection section of Fête des belles eaux, composed for the expanded octaves; chords plus silent bar; ‘un peu Messiaen, c. 1945 Paris International Exhibition in 1937 for six Ondes ’ with trills. The coda exhibits one of Messiaen’s Martenot, and number 8 from the second part of earliest, and rare, experiments with 12-note the for organ of 1930. If we accept the serialism, with rows being transposed up a above interpretation, then Messiaen here effectively semitone each time they occur. Even if listeners

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BIOGRAPHIES Chamber Orchestra (West Road Concert Hall, Other highlights of the 2008/09 season include Cambridge). He has worked with numerous appearances at the Hampstead and Highgate and conductors, including Jane Glover, Peter Stark, the Three Choirs festivals, recitals around the UK MATTHEW SCHELLHORN Russell Keable, David Hill, Andrew Fardell, and Ireland, and performances with the Piano Stephen Cleobury and Baldur Brönnimann. He Mozart Players. performs regularly on BBC Radio 3, and in 2005 he Born in Yorkshire in 1977, Matthew Schellhorn was featured on Classic FM’s The Guest List. ‘An excellent pianist and an excellent exponent. studied at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester … Accuracy, rhythm, sonority, technique, emotion and at the University of Cambridge, where his Matthew’s performances of the music of Olivier … everything is played as Messiaen wished it.’ teachers included David Hartigan, Ryszard Bakst, Messiaen have been met with superlative critical -Messiaen Maria Curcio and Peter Hill. He studied later in approval. His acclaimed solo recital at London’s Paris with Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen. Southbank Centre in 2006 confirmed his status as www.matthewschellhorn.com Magazine, the pre-eminent Messiaen interpreter of his Selected as a ‘Talent to Watch’ by BBC Music generation in Britain. Following his performances SOLOISTS OF THE and described as ‘one of Britain’s most atJésus the age of twenty of Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant- PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA exciting young ’ (Classic FM), Matthew in Cambridge, he was invited in 2002 to has a growing international career, which in recent perform at the Messiaen International Conference, JAMES CLARK seasons has seen recitals in Europe, Ireland and where Christopher Dingle of BBC Music Magazine Violin North America. described one solo recital as ‘a cherished memory for those privileged enough to experience it’. James Clark’s musical career, spanning over thirty He has given performances in many major venues years, encompasses a wide range of musical throughout the UK, including Wigmore Hall, During the 2008 Messiaen centenary, Matthew is accomplishment. As a chorister at King’s College Purcell Room (Southbank Centre) and St Martin- involved in numerous performances of Messiaen’s Cambridge he sang as soloist at the famous ‘Nine in-the-Fields in London. music. In the UK, he has been guest soloist in Lessons and Carols’ on Christmas Eve and on performancesPrésence Divine of Trois petites Liturgies de la many records under Sir David Willcocks. He went Recent concerto performances have included and Turangalîla-Symphonie. He on to study both singing and violin at the Royal appearances with the London Mozart Players will also take part in the ‘Festival Messiaen au College of Music in London, winning major awards Photo: Jan Thijs (St John’s, Smith Square, London), sinfonia ViVA Pays de la Meije’ in France. as a singer and prizes as a violinist. (Assembly Rooms, Derby), and Cambridge University

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In 1981 he was invited by Claudio Abbado to lead Philippe Honoré RACHEL ROBERTS Having been a member of the Fitzwilliam String the European Youth Orchestra, and subsequently Violin Viola Quartet, Rachel is much in demand as a chamber became the first leader of the newly formed musician; in this role she has worked alongside Chamber Orchestra of Europe working with some Philippe is a French-born violinist who has been a Born in Huddersfield, Rachel Roberts was Ivry Gitlis, Steven Isserlis, Pekka Kuusisto of the world’s greatest musicians including Solti, regular recitalist in both France and the UK. He awarded full scholarships to Chetham’s School of and Martin Lovett. As well as taking part in many Pollini, Barenboim and Abbado. has performed widely in broadcast recitals on Music, the Royal Northern College of Music and BBC Radio 3 broadcasts from the Wigmore French radio and television. He studied violin at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in Hall, she recorded the world premiere of As a member of the Endellion Quartet from 1984 the Paris Conservatoire with Pierre Doukan and London. At the age of 19 she was appointed to the Beethoven’s String Quintet in C minor Op. 104 on chamber music became an increasingly important was awarded the Premier Prix as both soloist and post of principal viola with the Manchester the Decca label. music activity. James was also active with the chamber musician. Winning several awards and Camerata with whom she frequently performed as Raphael Ensemble, playing regularly on radio and grants, he continued his studies at the Royal soloist. After further study, with David Takeno, DAVID COHEN producing several well received discs of Brahms Academy of Music with György Pauk. In 1992 he Rachel Roberts was a finalist in the Royal Cello and Dvorákv Sextets. received the honour Lauréat of the Yehudi Overseas League Competition and won the Menuhin Foundation of France and in 2001 was Philharmonia Orchestra’s Trevor Snoad Memorial David Cohen was born in 1980 in Tournai, For five years until 1990 James was leader of the awarded Honorary Associateship by the Royal Prize for viola. This resulted in a concerto Belgium, into a family of musicians and started to BBC National Orchestra of Wales and from 1990 to Academy of Music. engagement at St John’s, Smith Square, with the play the cello when he was seven. In 1991 he won Music, 1998, as leader, James took a major role in the Philharmonia Orchestra who later awarded her the First Prize in the Young Soloist Competition and Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s artistic development He took part in the Decca recording An Equal post of Principal Viola. First Prize with Distinction in the Senior and the and high profile. Since 1999 James has been containing the items mentioned in the Junior international Competition in Wathrelos, Concertmaster of the Philharmonia Orchestra, Indian novelist Vikram Seth’s book of the same In her role as Principal Viola of the Philharmonia France. He then went to the Conservatoire Royal de London, one of the world’s finest and most name, playing solo Bach and chamber music. Rachel has performed in such prestigious venues Bruxelles. In 1994 David joined the Yehudi recorded symphony orchestras. He also continues Philippe plays chamber music, recitals and solo as the Musikverein , the Tonhalle Zurich Menuhin School for four years, thanks to a grant to be in demand as a guest leader and chamber works, as well as leading orchestras and currently and Carnegie Hall under the batons from the Menuhin Foundation, before going on to musician across Britain and Europe. holds the position of Principal Second Violin in the of Ashkenazy, Maazel, Muti, Sanderling and study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Philharmonia. His instrument is an Italian violin Svetlanov. In 2000 she collaborated with Andras with Oleg Kogan. In 2004 James was also appointed Leader of the made by Thomas Eberle in 1786. Schiff in his Brandenburg Series at the Royal Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, a post he Festival Hall performing the chamber music David has won more than 25 international prizes holds in tandem with that of the Philharmonia. version of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6. and awards, including first prize at the Audi

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International Competition in 1995 and the KENNETH SMITH Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 with Maurice Wind Soloists, Endymion Ensemble and the International Cello Competition in Douai. Flute André and the Philharmonia/Muti for EMI; whilst Soloists of the Philharmonia Orchestra. He has his long established Duo partnership (with pianist recorded chamber repertoire for ASV, BBC, Black David began an international career as a soloist Kenneth Smith has won and continues to win Paul Rhodes) has already recorded seven albums Box and EMI, and broadcasts regularly on BBC aged just 11, performing with the Flemish many admirers who follow the Philharmonia of music for flute and piano - three of them Radio 3 and Classic FM. Orchestra of Brussels, the Orchestra from Orchestra on disc and on the concert platform devoted to music by British composers and the Grenoble and the Polish Philharmonic Orchestra throughout the world, his individual tone and others embracing many of the major works in the Barnaby has performed the Mozart Clarinet under Lord Menuhin’s direction, and in 1996 he superior quality of sound having developed under flute repertoire along with several virtuoso show Concertoor Without on You. both modern and period instruments. toured England and Scotland with the Symphonia the guidance of such eminent musicians as Aurele pieces, some neglected gems and a selection of He recorded Spohr Clarinet Concertos as a soloist of Warsaw. In 1997 he had a masterclass with Nicolet, James Galway and the almost legendary these artists own colourful and frequently with the Philharmonia for the Miramax film With Mstislav Rostropovich and after listening to Marcel Moyse. broadcast arrangements of classical favourites. David, Rostropovich asked him to play in his cello sextet. The same year he was also offered a tour in In 1983, after ten years with the Bournemouth BARNABY ROBSON Barnaby has worked with orchestras including Germany with the St Petersburg Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Kenneth accepted the Clarinet the Academy of Ancient Music, Academy of St Orchestra. David has also appeared at several invitation to become principal flute with the Martin in the Fields, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, international cello festivals including Kronberg Philharmonia Orchestra, which opened up an Barnaby Robson studied at the Guildhall School of English National Opera, Glyndebourne Touring Opera, (Germany), Manchester, Cambridge (UK), Beauvais international career of performing and recording Music and Drama, and as a Fulbright Scholar at London Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, (France) and the Gstaad Festival (Switzerland). music at the highest level the world over. The Juilliard School, where he was awarded the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age Concerto Prize. His subsequent Purcell Room of Enlightenment, Royal Opera House Orchestra, David was appointed Principal Cello of the Kenneth is now firmly established as one of debut was critically acclaimed. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Scottish Philharmonia Orchestra in March 2001 (the Britain’s leading flute players featuring on Chamber Orchestra. He was appointed Joint youngest cello principal ever) and currently countless recordings from the symphonic and As a chamber musician, Barnaby has performed Principal Clarinet of the Philharmonia Orchestra Magazine teaches at the Royal Conservatoire de Musique de operatic repertoire with the Philharmonia and and recorded much of the clarinet, violin and in 2000. He is Professor of Clarinet at the Mons in Belgium. other leading Symphony Orchestras. piano repertoire with the Zanfonia Trio, BBC Music Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Royal praised their most recent recording as a College of Music and the Royal Northern College A steadily increasing solo discography includes ‘fine disc ... leaving me hungry to hear more’. He of Music. Mozart’s Concerto for flute and harp with the also performs regularly with London Winds, Belcea Philharmonia/Sinopoli for Deutsche Grammophon, Quartet, Thomas Adès, Conchord Ensemble, Artur www.philharmonia.co.uk Vivaldi concertos with the London Musici and Pizarro, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

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Matthew Schellhorn wishes to thank his supporters.

Recorded at Potton Hall, Westleton, Suffolk, UK, 17 - 19 February 2008 Producer - Rachel Smith Engineer - Peter Newble Steinway piano prepared by John Eastoe Cover Image - iStockphoto Design and Artwork - Woven Design www.wovendesign.co.uk

P 2008 The copyright in this recording is owned by Signum Records Ltd. C 2008 The copyright in this CD booklet, notes and design is owned by Signum Records Ltd. Any unauthorised broadcasting, public performance, copying or re-recording of Signum Compact Discs constitutes an infringement of copyright and will render the infringer liable to an action by law. Licences for public performances or broadcasting may be obtained from Phonographic Performance Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this booklet may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from Signum Records Ltd.

SignumClassics, Signum Records Ltd., Suite 14, 21 Wadsworth Road, Perivale, Middx UB6 7JD, UK James Clark: Tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11 David Cohen: Tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11 +44 (0) 20 8997 4000 E-mail: [email protected] Philippe Honoré: Track 11 Kenneth Smith: Track 10 www.signumrecords.com Rachel Roberts: Track 11 Barnaby Robson: Tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8

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