572643-45 bk Elgar 25/2/11 07:51 Page 16 Photo from the collection of Marat Bisengaliev ELGAR 3 CDs The Violin Music Violin Concerto • Violin Sonata • Miniatures Marat Bisengaliev, Violin • Benjamin Frith, Piano West Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra Bundit Ungrangsee 8.572643-45 16 572643-45 bk Elgar 25/2/11 07:51 Page 2 Edward Bundit Ungrangsee ELGAR Bundit Ungrangsee enjoys a career as a conductor that has (1857-1934) taken him to five continents. A hero to many young people in his native Thailand, Bundit was awarded the title of CD 1* 57:37 ( Etude C 1:22 ) Cultural Ambassador and National Artist by the Thai Etude D 3:05 government in recognition of his international Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61 46:07 ¡ Etude E 2:55 1 Allegro 17:05 achievements. He has appeared with leading orchestras, 2 Andante 10:47 CD 3 70:11 including the Utah Symphony, Orchestra of St Luke’s, 3 Allegro molto 18:26 Milwaukee and Charleston Symphonies and the prestigious 1 Elévation, Op. 11 (tr. F. Louis Schneider)† 4:36 La Fenice Theatre in Venice. Among others he has Serenade for Strings, Op. 20 11:30 2 † conducted the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, I Pomeriggi 4 Allegro piacevole 3:18 Pastourelle, Op. 4, No. 2 2:54 3 Musicali, Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, the Auckland and 5 Larghetto 5:17 Bavarian Dance No. 3 † Victoria Symphonies, Orchestra Internazionale d’Italia, and 6 Allegretto 2:55 (arr. William Henley) 4:45 4 Bavarian Dance No. 1 the Malaysian, Nagoya, Copenhagen and Seoul CD 2 66:43 (arr. William Henley)† 4:06 Philharmonic Orchestras. In September 2002 he was named 5 Laureate and Co-Winner in the inaugural Maazel-Vilar 1 Romance, Op. 1† 5:05 Sospiri, Op. 70 (arr. Eirian Griffiths / † International Conductors’ Competition, held at Carnegie 2 Mazurka† 2:50 published by Fentone Music Ltd.) 4:06 3 † 6 Petite Reine – Berceuse Hall, winning particular praise from Lorin Maazel. Bizarrerie, Op. 13, No. 2 2:33 Bundit Ungrangsee is also a best-selling author. 4 Serenade† 2:32 (Victor Béraud, arr. Elgar)† 3:28 5 Idylle, Op. 4, No. 1† 3:24 7 Polonaise in D minor 6 Chanson de matin, Op. 15, No. 2† 3:06 (ed. Christopher Polyblank)† 4:39 7 Chanson de nuit, Op. 15, No. 1† 4:12 8 Dreaming (arr. W.H. Reed)† 2:36 8 La capricieuse, Op. 17† 4:21 9 Mot d’amour, Op. 13, No. 1† 1:59 9 Gavotte† 5:11 0 Valse on Themes by Elgar 0 Salut d’amour, Op. 12† 2:54 (completed by Christopher Polyblank)† 2:31 ! Etude-caprice (tr. W.H. Reed)† 3:53 ! Reminiscences† 2:10 @ † May Song 3:28 @ Interlude from The Crown of India, Op. 66 # † Virelai, Op. 4, No. 3 2:52 (arr. Hugh Blair)† 2:16 $ In Hammersbach (Scenes from # Allegretto: Duet on a theme of GEDGE† 3:58 the Bavarian Highlands, No. 2)† 2:52 % Carissima† 3:06 Sonata in E minor for violin and piano, ^ Adieu† 2:47 Op. 82† 24:24 $ Etudes caractéristiques pour violon seul, Allegro 8:10 % Romance 7:45 Op. 24 11:38 ^ & Etude A 2:36 Allegro non troppo 8:29 * Etude B 1:40 & Fugue for Violin and Oboe†† 1:43 Marat Bisengaliev, Violin Benjamin Frith, Piano† • Camilla Bisengalieva, Oboe†† West Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra* • Bundit Ungrangsee* 8.572643-45 2 15 8.572643-45 572643-45 bk Elgar 25/2/11 07:51 Page 14 West Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra CD 1 recorded at Kazakhconcert, Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 15th April, 2009 The West Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra was Producers: Alexander Van Ingen and Chris Craker formed following an initiative by Engineer: Alexander Van Ingen • Editor: Dave Rowell the Regional Governor of western Kazakhstan, Krymbek E. Mastering: Andrew Mellor for Six Music Productions Kusherbayev. His intention was to create the first symphony CD 2 recorded at St. Michael’s, Highgate, London, UK, on 20th and 21st August, 1998 orchestra in the West Kazakhstan region specifically for the annual Producer and engineer: Chris Craker • Post-production: Bill Sykes Uralsk International Violin Competition. He approached the CD 3, tracks 1-16 recorded at Potton Hall, Westleton, Suffolk, UK, on 17 and 18th October, 2000 internationally renowned Kazakh violinist, Marat Bisengaliev, to Producer and engineer: Chris Craker • Post-production: Bill Sykes help form the orchestra and to Track 17 recorded at Valley Wood Studio, Leeds, UK, on 7th May, 2010 give his time and expertise in order to establish this group as Recorded and mixed by Barkley McKay one of the flagship cultural organizations of the Kazakh Republic. As Founder and Artistic Director of the orchestra, Marat Bisengaliev prepared the orchestra’s first performance in Special thanks to: Photo: NCPA Mumbai May 2003. Following several concerts in the region, the West Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra toured outside Kazakhstan to England, Russia, Brian Batey, Antony Payne, Brian Montgomery and Peter Horton Photo: Teerayut Italy, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Japan, India and Kyrgyzstan. The orchestra’s recordings include Karl Jenkins’s Yena for supplying the rare materials and for valuable information. Requiem and Tlep, as well as music by Schnittke and Mysliveček. Christopher Polyblank for his arrangements and support for my work as “musician in residence” in Malvern. Christopher Halstead for his specially crafted bows and Jonathan Sparrey for lending Elgar’s bow. Erkin Tatishev from BTA, Krymbek Kusherbayev, Aidar Dusenov and Bankcentercredit for their generous sponsorship. Elgar’s Birthplace Museum and Melanie Weatherly for their great support and for lending Elgar’s violin. Norman Rosenberg and Jan Van Rooyen for their fine violins. 8.572643-45 14 3 8.572643-45 572643-45 bk Elgar 25/2/11 07:51 Page 4 Edward Elgar (1857-1934) Benjamin Frith The Violin Music Benjamin Frith was encouraged by his teacher, Dame Fanny CD 1 Jaeger, a reader for the firm, who found in Elgar’s music Waterman, to pursue a musical career after winning the British something much more akin to the music of his native Dudley National Concerto Competition at fourteen. At twenty he Violin Concerto, Op. 61 • Serenade for Strings, Op. 20 country. became a Mozart Memorial Prize winner and was invited by Sir By 1910, the year of the Violin Concerto, Peter Pears to appear at the Aldeburgh Festival. He achieved The image of Sir Edward Elgar as an Edwardian circumstances had changed. Gerontius had become an international recognition by sharing top prize in the 1986 Busoni gentleman, happier at the race-course or with his dogs established part of English choral repertoire: there had International Piano Competition and first prize in the 1989 Arthur than in the concert hall or with musicians is sadly been honorary degrees from major universities, a Rubinstein International Piano Competition. He made his début at deceptive. Popularly associated with the heyday of knighthood in 1904, the oratorios The Apostles and The the Edinburgh Festival in 1992 with an acclaimed interpretation of British imperialism, through his all too well known Pomp Kingdom, and in 1908 the first of his two symphonies. Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. He has given recitals and and Circumstance Marches and other occasional Expectation ran high when the Philharmonic Society concerto performances worldwide with many leading orchestras celebrations of Empire that have lasted less well, he has commissioned a new violin concerto. The work was and conductors including Zubin Mehta, Antoni Wit, Gianandrea seemed the musical epitome of a period in British history completed in time for its triumphant first performance at Noseda and Tamás Vásáry. Frith’s solo recording series for Naxos that it has become fashionable to decry. The picture is a Queen’s Hall in November 1910. It was dedicated to Fritz have included major explorations of the early Romantic period, false one. In Edwardian terms Elgar was a counter- Kreisler, the soloist on this occasion, and inscribed, (Mendelssohn and John Field) an area in which he is considered to jumper, a man of relatively humble origins, son of a cryptically, with the words Aqui está encerrada el alma have a speciality. The Warsaw Philharmonic have reinvited him to jobbing musician who kept a shop in Worcester, and later de... (Herein enshrined the soul of...), the inscription perform concertos by Hummel and Field as part of their Chopin the husband of an imprudent if well connected spinster, found on a poet’s tomb in the picaresque novel Gil Blas 200th anniversary celebrations. the daughter of a Major-General in the Indian Army and by Lesage. This is generally supposed to be a reference to nine years his senior. As a Catholic in a largely Protestant Alice Stuart-Wortley, Elgar’s acknowledged inspiration and strongly prejudiced community, he must seem very for the work, his Windflower, an affectionate nick-name much less of an Establishment figure, whatever mask he that distinguished her from his wife Alice. Although may have chosen to assume as his fame grew. Elgar himself was a violinist, he relied for technical Initial recognition was slow in coming. In 1890 the assistance on W. H. Reed, the young leader of the London Elgars moved to London, but the following year Symphony Orchestra, who played through the work with retreated again to the West Country, taking a house at the composer at the first private hearing in Gloucester, Malvern, allowing Elgar to return to his earlier activities before Kreisler, a soloist at the Gloucester Festival, Photo: Anthony Hurren as a provincial musician, enjoying a merely local offered his own private performance of the work. reputation. During the last decade of the century he The concerto opens with a highly characteristic first turned his attention largely to the writing of choral theme, in its orchestral exposition, moving forward to works, designed for the flourishing choral societies of themes identified with the Windflower.