Label: ARS PRODUKTION SACD 38002
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CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS (1835 – 1921): Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 33
VICTOR ANTOINE EDOUARD LALO (1823 – 1892): Cello Concerto in D minor
PABLO DE SARASATE (1844 - 1908): Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 (first recording for cello and orchestra)

Kerstin Feltz, cello

Vogtland Philharmonie Greiz, Reichenbach/Doron Salomon

Label: ARS PRODUKTION SACD 38028
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FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797 – 1828): Selected “Lieder” - Arpeggione
ALFRED SCHNITTKE (1934 – 1998): Cello Sonata No. 1

Andreas Woyke, piano; Friedrich Kleinhapl, cello

Musical programs never come about by chance, but sometimes despite the best planning one may still be surprised by the effect created by a particular combination of pieces. This happened to us when we played Schnittke’s Cello Sonata No.1 and Schubert’s “Arpeggione” Sonata in this order in a concert. We were struck by the influence the two works had on one another – Schnittke on Schubert, but also working backwards, Schubert on Schnittke. The question was, why? We thought a lot about this. Literally, the composers are worlds apart. Schubert, the Austrian, Schnittke, the Volga German with German-Russian roots, born 140 years later. Yet much connects them too. It may be just a coincidental biographical parallel that both became musicians despite the initial resistance of their parents but ended amongst the most important composers of their times. The same is true for the fact that they both died too young of severe illnesses. But as I see it, what does connect the composers very strongly is their character. Both went their own way, steadfastly and without compromise, even though for a long time they attracted almost no public attention. Both were highly sensitive, vulnerable people, unfamiliar with the lighter side of life but rather acquainted with feelings of dejection, melancholy, mourning, fear and the latent proximity of death. But perhaps their effect on one another is due less to their similarity than to the deeper contrasts between them.

Label: ARS PRODUKTION SACD 38043
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Tracks: Pirates of the Caribbean; Harry Potter; King Kong; Terminal; Star Wars; The Lord of the Rings; Gladiator; Schindler’s List; Jurassic Park; Forrest Gump; James Bond; The Flintstones

Vogtland Philharmonic Orchestra/Stefan Fraas
The Vogtland Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1992 as a joint project between the German states of Thuringia and Saxony, and is thereby unique in Germany. It was conceived as a continuation and development of more than 150 years of orchestral tradition in Vogtland. Continuity and versatility are important criteria in the Vogtland Philharmonic Orchestra’s engagements, with a particular commitment to the whole local area of Saxony-Thuringia. Guest appearances have taken “the region’s musical messengers” to all the important musical centers in Germany, as well as to Austria, Spain, Denmark, France, China, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and the USA. They give an unusually wide spectrum of different performances and concerts. Whether it be symphonic concerts, “Classics under the Stars”, concerts in historical costumes, prom concerts, or serenades at historic sites … there is almost no limit to their musical possibilities. In order to reach new audiences, the orchestra has successfully developed special projects such as “Philharmonic Rock” and the new recording “Sounds of Hollywood” with a fine selection of Hollywood blockbusters.

Label: ARS PRODUKTION SACD 38077
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AUGUST HENDRIK WINDING: DREI FANTASIESTUCKE, OP.19; CARL REINIECKE: INTRODUCZIONE ED ALLEGRO APPOSIONATO, OP. 256; CARL MARIA VON WEBER: SILVANA VARIATIONEN, OP.33; ROBERT SCHUMANN: DREI ROMANZEN, OP.94; NORBERT BURGMULLER; DUO, OP.15; CARL GOTTLIEB REISSIGER: DUO BRILLIAN, OP.130;
BONUS TRACK: HEINRICH JOSEP BAERMAN: ADAGIO

SABINE GROFMEIER,clarinet; Tra Nguyen, piano

Known for her large warm, dark sound Sabine Grofmeier impresses many with her energetic, expressive way of musicality and her skillful technical and musical brilliance. She is considered one of the best performers of her genre and is now named by the press on the same level as the star clarinetists Sabine Meyer and Sharon Kam. Since 2007 Sabine Grofmeier has been the artistic director of the Int. Musicfestival Capdepera in Mallorca, Spain.

Label: BIS SACD 1301
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Suite No. 1, Op. 64bis (1936); Suite No. 2, Op. 64ter (1936); Suite No. 3, Op. 101 (1946) - performed in the order the music appears in the ballet score

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra/Andrew Litton
While containing some of the most popular and attractive music that Prokofiev ever wrote, his suites from the ballet Romeo and Juliet have often been perceived as less than satisfying. Depending on the listener, there is a feeling that the composer chose either too much or too little, or that neither of the suites fully reflects the wealth and variety to be found in the complete score. Many conductors have accordingly compiled their own sequences of movements, picking from all three of the suites. This recording presents another solution: all three suites are played, but the twenty movements (which after all are Prokofiev’s choice of his favorite bits) are performed in the order in which they appear in the ballet. Lasting a little over half the duration of the complete Romeo and Juliet, they preserve the outline of the narrative and together give a full picture of Prokofiev’s gift for bringing characters, scenes and situations to life in music of vivid, striking power: the sunny atmosphere of Shakespeare’s Verona, aggressive energy in the fight music, neo-classical elegance in the courtly dances, quirky humor in the minor roles, and above all great lyrical beauty in the music for the two young lovers and the cruel series of events that leads to their tragic deaths. All this is brought to us by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra - whose recent Grieg cycle on BIS has been a notable critical success - conducted by its music director Andrew Litton, making his first recording for BIS. The Litton/Bergen collaboration was initiated in 2003 and has been highly successful, something which not only Norwegian, but also European audiences have been able to benefit from through the orchestra’s recent tours. The 2007/2008 Season will offer further such possibilities as the team visits Concertgebouw, Royal Albert Hall, Musikverein and Carnegie Hall - four of the world’s most prestigious concert venues.

Label: BIS SACD 1447
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CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862 – 1918): La Mer – Trois esquisses symphoniques; ZHOU LONG (*1953): The Deep, Deep Sea for alto flute/piccolo, timpani, harp and strings; FRANK BRIDGE (1879 – 1949): The Sea – Suite for orchestra; ALEXANDER GLAZUNOV (1865 – 1936): La Mer – Fantaisie pour grand orchestre, Op. 28

Sharon Bezaly, alto flute/piccolo
Singapore Symphony Orchestra/Lan Shui
The sea and Singapore are inextricably bound together – indeed, the first records of a settlement here give it the Javanese name Temasek ('sea town'). Ever since, these islands have provided a base for traders and fishermen, pirates and sailors. With the arrival of the British East India Company in 1819 Singapore quickly developed into one of the most important trading hubs of Asia and, indeed, the world. And although the patterns and methods of world trade and transport have changed, the sea still permeates the daily life of Singaporeans. This also applies to Lan Shui and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, who on this disc perform four works inspired by the sea by composers as varied as Debussy, Glazunov, Frank Bridge and Zhou Long (b. 1953). The latter was the subject of Rhymes, the orchestra’s previous and highly praised disc, of which web site Classics Today wrote: ‘Zhou’s is a personal, distinctive voice; and his beautifully crafted music achieves a remarkable synthesis of Western and Eastern musical traditions with musically rewarding results.’ The reviewer at BBC Music Magazine agreed, calling the result ‘utterly compulsive’ with the addition: ‘Here is orchestral playing of the highest calibre.’ Zhou Long’s The Deep, Deep Sea has as its title a quotation from Tang dynasty poet Li Bai, and was written for flautist Sharon Bezaly who performs it here. If the sea in Zhou Long’s piece is an Asian one, Glazunov used a visit to Crimea and the Black Sea for his inspiration, adding a good pinch of Wagnerism to its not very salty water. Debussy and Bridge on the other hand most probably had the same sea in mind when they composed their works: Debussy finished his La Mer while visiting England in 1904, staying in Eastbourne on the south coast, and Frank Bridge (1879-1949) was born and grew up in Brighton, some thirty kilometers further west.

Label: BIS SACD 1449
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'...The Deceitful Face of Hope and of Despair' (Concerto for flute and large orchestra, 2005); Sieben Worte for cello, bayan and strings (1982)

Sharon Bezaly, flute; Torleif Thedéen, cello; Mie Miki, accordion
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra/Mario Venzago
Considered by many to be the most important Russian composer since Shostakovich, Sofia Gubaidulina is well represented in the BIS catalogue. The present disc will be welcomed by her many admirers, as it includes the world première recording of her flute concerto, composed in 2005 and dedicated to Sharon Bezaly, the performer on this disc. Its title, '...The Deceitful Face of Hope and of Despair', is taken from T.S. Eliot's poem Ash Wednesday, but as the composer herself writes in the liner notes: 'It was by no means my intention to represent the emotional states mentioned in the title by musical means. I was far more concerned with musical and acoustic actualities.' The solo part calls for three different instruments (flute, alto flute and bass flute) and, with the extended orchestra, covers a very wide range of colours and pitches. The work explores 'difference tones', an acoustic phenomenon whose varying aspects come to symbolize the concepts of 'hope' and 'despair'. Accompanying the one-movement concerto is Sieben Worte (Seven Words), in which Gubaidulina follows in the footsteps of Schütz and Haydn, setting in music the pain and wonder of Christ's last moments on the cross. The seven-movement suite for cello, bayan (Russian-style button accordion) and strings employs a number of musical symbols, but is, like the flute concerto, anything but a cerebral exercise. Rather it is a work of great emotional impact by a composer who has stated: 'I can't reach a single musical decision except with the goal of making a connection to God. If I separated the religious goal from the musical one, music would have no meaning for me.' The emotional content is given its full weight in this interpretation by Torleif Thedéen and Mie Miki, together with the strings of Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mario Venzago.

Label: BIS SACD 1712
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Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27; Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14

Singapore Symphony Orchestra/Lan Shui

The catastrophic première of his First Symphony in 1897 had been a terrible blow to Rachmaninov, and led to a three-year period of almost complete creative paralysis. By 1906 he had summoned up the courage for a new attempt in the genre, however, and now the reception was completely different: it was to great acclaim Rachmaninov conducted the first performance in St Petersburg in 1908. The Second Symphony contains the very best of Rachmaninov: deliberately paced and rhythmically flexible it is propelled by that wonderful sense of melodic expansion of which he was such a master. With a playing time of an hour, the main criticism made against the work over the years has concerned its epic dimensions. It is this monumental work that Lan Shui and his Singapore Symphony Orchestra have chosen to record as a celebration of the orchestra‘s 30th anniversary. Founded in 1979 the SSO has become an important musical force in Asia, but is also gaining international recognition from its high-profile tours and its releases on BIS. Under Lan Shui, its music director since 1997, the orchestra has recorded a wide range of works, such as an acclaimed series of Alexander Tcherepnin‘s symphonies and piano concertos, as well as music by composers Zhou Long, Chen Yi and Bright Sheng. But the SSO discography also includes core orchestral works, such as Debussy‘s La Mer (on BIS SACD 1447), in an interpretation which was highly praised on its release: the reviewer in BBC Music Magazine found it ‘an unequivocally world-class performance of Debussy’s masterpiece...’ while his counter-part in American Record Guide reported it to be ‘the most astounding, effective, and beautiful recording of La Mer I have ever heard.‘ The French website Opus Haute Définition, finally, gave the disc a special commendation, claiming that Lan Shui‘s interpretation of La Mer possesses ‘a rare narrative force. With him the sea recovers its tangible depths without forsaking any of its poetic effects.‘

REVIEW - AUDIOPHILE AUDITION

Don’t discount this new release due to the unusual orchestra. The Singapore Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1979, has a high level of excellence and an international profile. They have recorded all the Tcherepnin symphonies and piano concertos and perform around the world. The Swedish label BIS has been recording in the Far East for some time and has won acclaim for its Bach Cantata series recorded in Japan.

This is some of Rachmaninoff’s best instrumental music, a long indulgent symphony packed with gorgeous melodies and rich and full orchestrations. He wrote it at the same time he was working on a couple of his operas, which are now mostly forgotten, and used some music from his Francesca da Rimini opera at the main climax of the first movement. Other tunes from that opera are featured in the Adagio movement, and the finale opens and closes in strong and high-spirited style that sums up beautifully materials heard in the preceding movements. The Vocalise is one of the most gorgeous Rachmaninoff melodies and is always welcome to hear.

While an excellent and well-recorded performance, I tend to personally prefer the Cincinnati Symphony version with Paavo Jarvi on a Telarc SACD for its somewhat greater enthusiasm, and of course there’s that famous sub-rumbling Telarc bass drum not heard on other versions. But this one is well worth anyone’s consideration. - John Sunier

Label: BIS SACD 1820
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SERGEI PROKOFIEV (1891 – 1953) – PIANO CONCERTOS NOS. 2 & 3
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26
Piano Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 14

Freddy Kempf, piano

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra/Andrew Litton
Separately, both Freddy Kempf and the team of Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under Andrew Litton have recorded music by Prokofiev for BIS, resulting in highly acclaimed releases. Freddy Kempf’s 2003 Prokofiev solo recital was described as ‘a superb disc’ in Gramophone, whose critic went on to write: ‘Kempf is joyfully exuberant, flashing through every savage challenge with the assurance and instinct of a born virtuoso.’ Four years later, the Bergen orchestra and Litton recorded the twenty movements from the composer’s three Romeo and Juliet suites, performed in the order the music appears in the ballet score. The outcome of this original approach was widely praised, for instance by the reviewer on the German website Klassik Heute: “a European top orchestra and an American conductor with great insights into the Russian repertoire meet up, and the result is sparkling, colorful, ardent and with great presence…” Kempf, Litton and the Bergen PO now join forces in an all-Prokofiev program that includes the most popular of his five piano concertos, namely the Third, a spontaneous work, vigorous and melodic in turns and full of striking material presented in a typical Prokofiev manner. This is coupled with the Second Piano Concerto, which Prokofiev himself premièred in 1913, shocking the audience with its modernistic sounds and jagged rhythms. The original score was lost during the Russian Revolution and Prokofiev reconstructed the work in Paris in 1923. According to the composer himself, the new version was so completely rewritten that it almost constituted a new work. Between the two concertos Freddy Kempf performs the Second Piano Sonata, a key work in Prokofiev’s development and full of striking and individual ideas.

Label: CANTATE SACD 58044
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NEW FOR CHRISTMAS!
CARL BERTIL AGNESTIG (b.1924): Lucia; Lusse iella; REINIS SEJANS: Vindo (arr. Steffen Schreyer); ARNOLD SCHOENBERG (1874 – 1951): Friede auf Erden, Op. 13; ALICE CHARLOTTA TEGNÉR (1864 – 1953): Sankta Lucia (arr. Helene Stureborg); RAGNAR GRIPPE (b. 1951): Tritt ein, Lucia; PETER WARLOCK (1894 – 1930): Bethlehem Down; Capriol Suite – Lullaby my Jesus, arr. Andrew Carter; KNUT NYSTEDT (b. 1915): Hosanna; FRANZ BIEBL (1906 – 2001): Ave Maria; GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813 – 1901): Laudi alla Vergine Maria; STUART HINDS (b. 1962): Away in a manger; TRADITIONAL: Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen; KARIN REHNQVIST (b. 1957): I himmelen; HEINZ-WERNER ZIMMERMANN (b. 1930): Wachet auf ruft uns die Stimme; JAN-ÅKE HILLERUD (b. 1938): Sankte Lucia;

ARTISTS: St. Gregory Children’s Choir, European Vocal Soloists, Steffen Schreyer, conductor

On the longest night of the year, our longing for light is at its greatest. From time immemorial this has found expression in rituals and popular customs. Thus, over 5000 years ago, in the Stone Age, the burial mound “New Grange” (north of Dublin) was laid out so that a ray of light would fall into the cross-shaped burial chamber only on the longest and the shortest days of the year. This day also honors “she who is full of light,” as the name “Lucia” signifies (following the old Gregorian calendar today on Dec. 13th). In the Middle Ages in Sweden, for example, St. Lucia’s Day marked the beginning of the pre-Christmas fasting period that preceded the Holy Night in which Jesus, “the light of the world,” was born; since the angels announced from heaven in a bright light, “Glory be to God on high, and peace on earth, good will to men!” Here the circle closes, and here it becomes clear why Saint Lucia is so closely linked to the winter solstice and Christmas. December 13th is traditionally celebrated, especially in Sweden, with a festival of lights and traditional songs in which St. Lucia is sung about as the bringer of light and harbinger of Christmas. The

ARTISTs here present us an impressive compendium of music linked to or about St. Lucia from the Baroque to our time.

Label: COVIELLO SACD 40611
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AARON COPLAND (1900 – 1990): Simple Gifts (A Shaker melody) for women’s choir; The Old American Songs (The Boatmen’s Dance; The Dodger & I bought me a cat); BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913 – 1976): Hymn to St. Cecilia, Op. 27; Three Folksong Arrangements (The Bonnie Earl o’Moray; The Salley Gardens; Oliver Cromwell); MICHAEL TIPPETT (1905 – 1998): Five Negro Spirituals from “A Child of our Time” (Steal away; Nobody knows; Go down, Moses; By and by; Deep river); SAMUEL BARBER (1910 – 1981): Agnus Dei, Op. 11; A Stopwatch and an Ordnance Map; RANDALL THOMPSON (1899 – 1984): Alleluia

Rundfunkchor Berlin/Simon Halsey
Phillip Mayers, piano; Tobias Schweda, percussion

Label: COVIELLO SACD 50502
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DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH (1905 – 1975): Piano Trios No. 1, Op. 8 & No. 2, Op. 67; PAUL JUON (1872 – 1940): Piano Trio, Op. 17 & “Trio Miniatures”

Trio Paian: Carl-Magnus Helling, violin; Marin Smesnoi, cello; Alexandra Neumann, piano
Probably the best known Russian composer of the twentieth century, Shostakovich only composed two piano trios, but he always judged them among his most important works, and posterity has judged them in the same way. Shostakovich was only 17 years old when he composed Piano Trio op. 8; it was one of his very first works and it was performed in 1925 at a public concert in Moscow. The second trio, written in 1944, is one of his emotionally most intensive compositions: the sudden death of his friend Ivan Sollertinsky had dealt him a devastating blow. While Shostakovich is a household name almost everywhere, most people would ask "who?" when confronted with the name Paul Juon - there are no similarities of either a biographical or stylistic nature between these two composers. Juon was the son of a Swiss family who immigrated to Moscow, where Paul grew up, and as a composer it is difficult to pigeonhole him. On this hybrid SACD, Trio Paian presents his piano trios in a charming and highly informative contrast to Shostakovich's two trios.

Label: CYBELE SACD 260901
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Bleeding in Babylon for Bass clarinet, electric guitar and double bass
Die Stimmen der Wände (The Voices of the Walls) - A composition cycle in 6 parts for flute, Bass clarinet/Alto saxophone, Trombone, electric guitar, Violin and violoncello *
que hora es in paradiso? for banjo and bass clarinet
variations in memoriam Edison Denisov for classical guitar
Exits for electric guitar and ensemble *

Seth Josel, electric guitar, banjo, classic guitar

musikFabrik/Johannes Debus*
The divining of gravitational energy which emanates from the tones themselves is among the most fundamental of Sidney Corbett’s musical sensibilities. He listens attentively to a melodic figure or a line and follows the intention inherent in the motive itself. The basis of this form of listening in is the smallest of all musical units, the single tone. Sidney Corbett feels his way into the tone, it is the point of crystallization from whence all other subsequent tones are chosen and woven into lines. The lines follow the music’s intrinsic tendencies which, since the tendencies are ambiguous always maintain a certain sense of openness. Thus the melodies of this composer bear a certain peculiar vagueness, a latent multi dimensionality, a trace of inherent motion. This does not mean however, that Sidney Corbett’s music lacks clarity. The succession of notes always seems logical, indeed the music compels the listener to follow, this is a strength which derives from the highly sensitive and thorough listening through of the tonal relations which Corbett subjects his music to.

Label: EBS SACD 6156
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JOSEF STRAUSS (1827 - 1870): Sphärenklänge; Harlekin; Eingesendet; Vorwärts; JOHANN STRAUSS I (1804 - 1849): Radetzky-Marsch; JOHANN STRAUSS II (1825 - 1899): Luzifer; Du und Du; Fledermaus-Quadrille; Tik Tak; Kaiserwalzer; EDUARD STRAUSS (1835 - 1916): Carmen-Quadrille; JOHANN STRAUSS III (1866 - 1939): Schlau-Schlau

Neue Philharmonie Westfalen/Neiko Mathias Förster
Whereas all the representatives of the Viennese classical period were “immigrants”, the members of the Strauss family were “native” citizens. Johann Strauss senior, son of an innkeeper, became a member of Johann Lanner’s orchestra as a viola player at the age of fifteen. In 1825 he founded his own orchestra and soon became the musical darling of Viennese audiences. He toured all of Austria and performed in London and Paris as early as 1837. In 1835 he received, like his son many years later, the title of a “Hofballmusikdirektor”. Among his 250 compositions there are quadrilles and polkas as well as waltzes and marches, however, his most famous piece has always been the “Radetzky March”. The “Radetzky March” by Johann Strauss sen., seen from a modern point of view, is a less than pacifistic dedication to the K&K (“imperial and royal”) military and one of its most successful protagonists, the general Josef Wenzel Radetzky. In modern times this march celebrates its peaceful triumph in the concert halls of the whole world.

Label: GLOSSA SACD 922203
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Flemish Radio Choir/Kaspars Putninsh
Throughout the history of music, few composers have had such (almost systematic) recourse to feelings as Rachmaninov and used them as the main sustenance for their works. Generally, even the most identifiably Romantic authors occasionally hide or disguise their feelings behind more abstract concepts, which can be summarized by terms such as “thematic construction”, “motif material” and “expressive power”. Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943), however, was not afraid to make eloquent, unambiguous and direct references to the feelings that pervade his pieces in a mixture of agitation and urgency, turning them into moving radiographs of his innermost artistic and human sentiments. Neither does he hesitate to assert the eminently nationalist nature of his output. His Liturgy of St John Chrysostom was composed in 1910 when, at the age of 37, Rachmaninov had just returned from his first American tour, having given a series of recitals in which his Concerto Nº 3 for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 30 had been enthusiastically received.