Reviews in April 1997

Franz Xaver Scharwenka (1850 - 1924)

Piano Concerto No.4 in F minor, op.82

Emil von Sauer (1862 - 1942)

Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor

Stephen Hough, piano / City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Lawrence Foster (Hyperion CDA 66790)

I have never heard of these two composers before in my life. And it therefore follows that these two piano concertos are completely new to me.

Kudos to Hyperion for unearthing yet another unjustly-obscured gem. They have done it time and again - from a stunning survey of all of Schubert's Lieders, to bringing the excellent but little-known Medtner piano concertos to a larger audience.

The major work here is the one by Franz X. Scharwenka. It is indeed a work of stunning difficulty, with most tuneful thematic material and rich orchestration to challenge the concertos by his more celebrated counterpart, Rachmaninov. And it has a structural strength that parallels Brahms' First Concerto. On reading the detailed notes in the accompanying booklet, one finds out that the work was a major triumph for the composer when it was first performed in 1910 with Mahler conducting. Apparently, it drove the audience wild.

It is therefore rather strange that given its supposed popularity during its time (I'm not eliminating the possibility that the notes could be parochial and biased), it is not widely performed (if at all!) these days. Perhaps the only possible explanation would be that this is an "awfully difficult work to play", and requires the soloist to perform "veritable orgies of virtuosity upon the keyboard".

This long-overdue recording does shed a great deal of light on that pianistic difficulty. Stephen Hough is no salon pianist. Those who have heard his work before - a brilliant CD of Hummel's concertos and a Lisztian Liszt recital, among others - will realise what a formidable and musical pianist he is. Indeed, his transcendental virtuosity has one at the edge of one's seat. The toughest passages are tossed off with jaw-dropping ease and scorching brilliance. And there is plenty of fun and romantic ardour and drive amidst the rush of adrenaline. All the musicians appear to have a firm grasp of the monumental architecture of the work. The rhythmic tarantella finale is mind-blowing in its coruscating bravura.

The more frivolous filler, Sauer's equally-neglected Piano Concerto No.1, is tossed off with charm and glitter. The keyboard fireworks here are hardly less breathtaking.

Lawrence Foster and the orchestra make inspired partners, and this record must find its way on every classical music-lover's shelves for this is one of the greatest recordings of its genre of all time, worthy to rank alongside Michelangeli's legendary Rachmaninov Concerto No.4, and Horowitz's electrifying Tchaikovsky No.1 with Toscanini.

It is almost too good to be true that the digital recording is also one of the finest to emerge from Hyperion. It is no wonder why Gramophone magazine unanimously named this the "Record of The Year" for 1996.

Written by Lionel Choi

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)

Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), KV 620

Kiri Te Kanawa (Pamina) / Cheryl Studer (Queen of the Night) / Francisco Araiza (Tamino) / Samuel Ramey (Sarastro) / Olaf Bär (Papageno) / Eva Lind (Papagena) / José van Dam (Speaker) / Ambrosian Opera Chorus / Academy of St. Martin in the Fields / Sir Neville Marriner, conductor (Philips 426 276 - 2) (2 CDs)

This is easily one of the most sparkling and charming operas by Mozart (The Marriage of Figaro remains supremely frothy and bubbly). The fairy-tale plot is, as with most operas, ludicrous: A young man called Tamino falls madly in love with Pamina, the daughter of the tyrannical Queen of the Night, who forbids this love affair. But she has trouble stopping the predestined lovers for the all-mighty Sarastro has kidnapped her daughter, and keeps her for Tamino. A motley crew of characters, which include a mute giant serpent, a happy-go-lucky bird-catcher called Papageno, a lustful Moor, and the mysterious Three Ladies, complicates the plot. But all is well as the two lovers are eventually united.

It helps that Mozart's music is so winningly cheerful and charming, and that transcends the sheer stupidity of the mythical story.

This recording made in 1989 is probably the best modern account around. Sir Neville Marriner is not the most extrovert of conductors here, but he directs the proceedings with his usual flair and style, and the crispness of his approach provides sparkle and immense joie de vivre. The darker and more dramatic elements may be somewhat underplayed, but the sheer joy of the interpretation is undeniably infectious.

It helps that Marriner has a first-rate cast. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's rich, creamy tones make Pamina a sympathetic, enchantingly beautiful, if not very highly-believable, young lady. She sings the aria "Ach, ich fül's" with meltingly tender longing. Francisco Araiza is a rather experienced-sounding Tamino, and if he doesn't sound youthful enough, he makes up for it with fine, though occasionally strained, singing and intelligent word-pointing. Samuel Ramey is sonorous and commanding as Sarastro, rich and powerfully conceived. The Three Ladies, led by Yvonne Kenny, make a very fine team.

The best casting choices must be soprano Cheryl Studer as the larger-than-life Queen of the Night, and baritone Olaf Bär as her carefree bird-catcher Papageno. Studer's two big arias are sung with thrilling bite and precision in stunning coloratura. The ease and agility with which she articulates the running notes and accurately hits the torturous high Fs are something to marvel at. Bär's youthful voice is a constant joy to listen to. His Papageno conveys a boyish charm and his comic timing is spot-on. I love his obvious relish for the music and the delicious German libretto by Schikaneder.

The rest of the cast is consistently fine, although Eva Lind's shrill soprano will not appeal to all.

The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields are in very familiar territory here, and play with their usual Mozartian sensibility. Everyone is beautifully recorded, clear and transparent, with a good three-dimensional aura to facilitate the sound effects and the story-telling. This is altogether a delightful recording that should please many.

Written by Lionel Choi

Voices Of Ascension - From Chant To Renaissance

Hildegard of Bingen: O virga ac diadema; Ave generosa, Kathy Thiel, Soprano; Palestrina: Sitivit anima mea; Surge illuminare; Hodie Christus Natus Est; Ascendo ad Patrem; Byrd: Justorum animae; Rejoice, rejoice; Sing Joyfully; Miserere mei, Deus; Issac: Sanctus (from Missa Prolationem); Josquin Deprez: Ave Christe; Dufay: Alma Redemptoris Mater, Alexandra Montano, Neil Farrell, Jeffrey Johnson, Thom Baker, Singers; Tallis: In ieiunio et fletu; Farrant: Lord, for thy tender mercy's sake; Lotti: Crucifixus; Ingegneri: Tenebrae factae sunt; Weelkes: Hosanna to the Son of David; Alleluia, I heard a voice, Peter Stewart, Baritone; Anonymous: Rejoice in the Lord alway; Gregorian Chant: Kyrie eleison, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei (from Missa 'cum jubilo'); Ave Verum Corpus, Susanne Peck, Soprano.

Dennis Keene, conductor (Delos DE 3174)

Chant, in case you've been asleep lately, is quite popular these days. One recent recording, simply entitled Chant on Angel, a compilation from four previous recordings, became a mega chart buster and started a trend that must have prompted certain record execs to scratch their balding heads in surprise (or, if they were women, to fuss with their split ends in astonishment). Now, of course, practically every label's getting into the act with recordings of chant and its close neighbor, religious choral music from the Medieval and Renaissance periods. This is the third entry in this competitive field by the talented forces of Dennis Keene and Voices of Ascension on Delos.

Some people, of course, buy this kind of music because it is soothing, meditative, something they even doze off to. If that's your bag, I won't gainsay your listening habits, but be aware there's substantive music on this disc, not mantra-laden stuff packaged to fit some PR man's idea of new-age music in Renaissance robes. For example, you get two pristinely beautiful hymns (or Sequences) by the mystic nun (Saint) Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179). And, again, if you been asleep lately (perhaps snoozing to the peaceful sounds of chanting Monks), Hildegard, also a poet, writer, scientist, diplomat and visionary whom nobles and popes consulted, has developed a rather large and devoted following in the past decade-and-a-half. Some of her admirers call her a feminist, but grudgingly concede her feminism was hardly in step with that of today-who among the Steinems and Smeals worship fervently in a male-dominated religion, much less write hymns extolling the Blessed Virgin? But the disc, as you can glean from the fat headnote, contains considerably more than just music by Hildegard. There are four motets by Palestrina, perhaps the leading composer of late Renaissance church music. There are also significant works by Dufay, Issac and Josquin. And, of course, you get a healthy quota of chant here-Gregorian Chant.

The singers, under the knowing guidance of Dennis Keene, deliver performances of authenticity and commitment. Especially notable is the singing of Kathy Thiel in the Hildegard pieces. The notes, written by Keene, are excellent, as are the sonics. Each of the 24 selections is given a separate track. In sum, whether you soothe yourself into slumber with, or listen seriously to, this genre of music, this release will reward you richly.

Written by Robert Cummings

Peter Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)

Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Major, Op. 44; Fantasie de Concert in G Major, Op. 56.

Bernd Glemser, piano / Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra / Antoni Wit (Naxos 8.550820)

Bernd Glemser, a young German pianist, has recently turned in scorching accounts of the Rachmaninov Third and Prokofiev Sonatas 2, 7, and 8 on Naxos discs (how does this label consistently find such talent from the ranks of the little known?). Here, he continues to impress with a thrilling, beautifully-phrased performance of the Tchaikovsky Second Concerto, a work which, like the Third, has languished in relative obscurity until the last decade or two, overshadowed by the immensely popular First, without doubt the most played and recorded concerto in the classical repertory. The disc is generously filled out with a splendid rendition of the Concert Fantasy.

Glemser, besides possessing a technique to rival any, plays with heartfelt commitment and an acute sense of clarity. Under his fingers nothing degenerates into opacity or haziness, and nothing above them smells of the scent of calculation or virtuosic grandstanding. His is a talent of cultivated artistry that both convinces the mind and seduces the ear.

From his entrance at 0:15 in the concerto (track 1), where you hear Glemser deliver those majestic chords of the main theme with a plush, Cliburnesque tone, onto the meltingly touching statement of the alternate melody beginning at 2:38, you quickly become aware of the pianist's keen sensitivity and broad range of color. And he plays the cadenzas with penetrating insight and the illusion of ease amidst formidable pianistic hurdles. Try the latter part of the big cadenza, for instance, beginning with the buildup at 14:43, where Glemser starts with a feather-light touch and incredible fleetness, and swells the chords into impressive cascades of sound with utterly deft skill. By comparison even the late Emil Gilels, in his EMI account with Maazel, doesn't quite play with that combination of ferocity and finesse here.

Speaking of Gilels, his powerfully dramatic but less poetic performance of this concerto is of the once commonly-accepted Siloti edition, a rather mutilated version, which excises half the second movement. True, Tchaikovsky's grasp of structure in this work, as in some of his others, shows less than masterly skill. But this concerto, warts and all, hardly deserves the surgical gutting offered by Alexander Siloti. Too bad Gilels didn't give us a complete performance of this flawed masterpiece, because his abridged effort was spectacular, if a bit overheated. Glemser gives you the whole thing, rendered with exquisite artistry from first note to last.

He also gives you a sparkling account of the Concert Fantasy, a difficult and delightful, if less rewarding, work. The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and its underrated Conductor Antoni Wit turn in stellar performances that feature splendid solo work by the first chairs in the violin and cello sections in the concerto's songful second movement. Excellent sound and informative notes, too, but I can't let Ates Orga's reference to the "composer's suicide" go by without comment. Tchaikovsky died of cholera. Some claim his contraction of the disease was deliberate, however, owing to pressures related to his homosexuality in a homophobic Tsarist Russia. I won't delve into the details here, but I'll register my skepticism about claims his death was by his own hand.

In sum, this recording is highly recommended, especially at Naxos's budget prices.

Written by Robert Cummings

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

The Piano Sonatas Vol.2

Sonata No.11 in A major, KV 331; Sonata No.12 in F major, KV 332; Sonata No.13 in B flat major, KV 333; Sonata No.14 in C minor, KV 457; Sonata No.15 in C major, KV 545; Sonata No.16 in B-flat major, KV 570; Sonata No.17 in D major, KV 576; Sonata in F major, KV 533 with Rondo KV 494; Fantasie C minor, KV 475; Fantasie No.2 in D minor, KV397

Glenn Gould, piano (CBS M2YK 45613)

This two-disc set featuring the late sonatas of Mozart is a triumph of the bizarre over the conventional, of innovation and novelty over the tried-and-tested way. In every single sonata, Glenn Gould leaves the unmistakable imprint of his unique musical personality, with explosive and unforgettable results.

Glenn Gould, that tortured, eccentric, utterly unique musical phenomenon caused great controversy when he first released these sonatas to an unsuspecting public. Defying practically every rule in the book, these two discs either intrigue, horrify, amuse or titillate the listener but they are unlikely to bore. From the opening bars of KV 311, you can sense that there's something different about the way Gould approaches the Mozart sonatas. Starting in a deliberately spastic, abnormally slow pace, he gradually picks up his tempo until the final variation of the first movement of KV 311 is a whirlwind of sounds, almost too quick to believe. You will find the famous Rondo alla turca interesting too; Gould plays it affectedly, playing in a staccato fashion that could really irritate more puritan tastes.

Gould's penchant for being a speed demon doesn't stop here. Listen to the thrilling and electrifying rendition of the final movement of KV 332 (4:03!)and the first movement of KV 333 (3:43). It is quite likely that Gould's Mozart sonatas hold some sort of record for speed. There can't be many pianists in the world today who can play at that speed with that kind of precision (nor are they likely to do so even if they could!). Another of my favorite moments from these discs come from the KV 570, one of the rarer Mozart sonatas.

You'll find some more of that famed precision playing in KV 545 where it is unlikely even a computer can play with such split-second accuracy in timing. Of course, in the midst of this all this technical wizardry, one might question whether there's any artistic value in these recordings. I believe to some extent that these recordings have value in challenging establishment and norms, in allowing us to see beyond the myopic confines of what has been deemed possible. It is possible that these recordings have no merit whatsoever in the ears of musical intelligentsia but there are refreshing, a breath of fresh air and originality in an otherwise staid world.

This is not to say that everything about the disc is good. I hated the way Gould played KV 457 and KV 475. He approached them so clinically and dispassionately that he robbed whatever beauty and life there ever was in these wonderful minor-key sonatas and I think he did an unnecessary disservice to himself. Gould can play beautifully when he chooses to, listen to that tender and heart-felt second movement from KV 332.

This is an interesting recording to buy for those who wish to experiment and listen to something utterly different and unprecedented. It is not a recommended or even good version of the Mozart sonatas, in the sense of being good as deemed by mainstream standards, but it is certainly very unusual and promises some very unusual insights into these charming works. The sound is a little too close but within tolerable limits.

Written by Melvin Yap