Berlioz & Duparc - Les Nuits d'été, etc.(1989)

Liner Notes:

To their contemporaries, Berlioz and Duparc must have seemed unlikely torchbearers for the rarefied art of French song. Whereas the langourously heavy-lidded Fauré was surely made for what Pierre Bernac has described as the 'sensitive perceptions and impressions' of the French mélodie (in itself a more gently evocative word than its German counterpart, the lied), Berlioz appeared too much a fiery revolutionary, and Duparc a bluff and sensible bourgeois.

As the poet Théophile Gautier wrote: 'Berlioz represents the romantic musical idea: the breaking up of old moulds... unexpected effects in sound, tumultuous and Shakespearean depth of passion.' In prosaic contrast, Duparc was described by a friend as 'broadly built, stout, rather florid, with rosy cheeks, a golden moustache, a hearty voice and manner, and ever a twinkle in his eye'.

But for both men the outward form masked an extraordinary sensitivity to poetry and the singing voice: a genius for the fusion of French language and music. Gautier went on to say of Berlioz—and the description could just as easily apply to Duparc—that he also displayed 'an amorous and melancholy dreaminess, longings and questionings of the soul, infinite and mysterious sentiments, and that something more than all which escapes language but may be divined in music.' In Duparc's case, this well disguised, but extreme sensibility resulted in a debilitating nervous illness which prevented him from composing from 1885 until his death almost fifty years later in 1933.

Gautier was the poet whose texts Berlioz chose for his uniquely expressive song cycle Les Nuits d'été, originally composed for voice and piano in 1840-41. The fourth song, Absence, was the first to be orchestrated, in 1843, and Berlioz completed the others in 1856. The cycle opens optimistically with Villanelle—a pastoral love song—but then the mood changes to the gentle lament of Le Spectre de la rose and the yearning for dead and absent love in Sur les lagunes and Absence. The final two songs are visions of mythical places: the sombre Au cimetière, 'the white tomb... where at sunset a solitary dove sings her sad song', and L'Ile inconnue, the elusive island where love is eternal.

That last image held a particular fascination for 19th century French artists as they rediscovered the wistfully nostalgic world of the fêtes galantes, typified by Watteau's painting L'Embarquement pour Cythère. It is not surprising, therefore, to find Baudelaire's complementary poem, L'Invitation an voyage, among the texts chosen by Duparc. Duparc's setting, which dates from 1870, was dedicated to his wife, and as Lotte Lehmann observed: 'the music begins with a delicate weaving, like billowing veils of mist, warmed by the sun, light and silvery'. The atmosphere is similar to that of the almost mystical mountain landscapes of Charles-Marie Dulac—a contemporary painter much admired by Duparc who owned several of his canvasses.

The other Duparc songs recorded here include two from his first set published in 1868: Chanson triste, on a poem by Jean Lahor, dedicated to Duparc's brother-in-law (an excellent amateur singer); and the wistfully intimate Soupir, on a poem by Sully Prudhomme, dedicated to Duparc's mother. Next in chronological order comes the dramatic Le Manoir de Rosemonde (1879), dedicated to Robert de Bonnières who supplied the text. Here we can imagine Duparc following the advice he once gave to a fellow composer: 'Do not write the music to even one line of verse without declaiming it to yourself out loud, with the stresses and gestures'. Sérénade Florentine (1880) again draws on the poetry of Jean Lahor, while Phidylé (1882), dedicated to Ernest Chausson, and La Vie antérieure (1884), dedicated to Guy Ropartz, are settings of Leconte de Lisle and Baudelaire.

La Vie antérieure was Duparc's last song, and with its closing reference to 'the sorrowful secret that made me languish' it poignantly reflected the tragedy of Duparc's own creative life. 'Since then', he later wrote, 'I have never been able to compose. Many people believe I have a number of works in my files. There is nothing. I live in regret for what I have not done, without caring about the little that I have done'. Nevertheless, the slim legacy of mélodies by both Duparc and Berlioz was to prove a vital inspiration for succeeding generations of French composers.

Edward Blakeman

Bernadette Greevy is recognised and acclaimed internationally as one of the finest mezzo-sopranos singing today. She has sung in concert with many of the great orchestras and has given innumerable recitals in all the major capitals of the world.

While it could be said that the art of recital is her first love, she has sung, with conspicuous success, several major operatic roles, including Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlos, Charlotte in Massenet's Werther, Delilah in Saint-Saëns' Samson and Delilah, the title role in Massenet's Hérodiade and Orfeo in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice.

Bernadette Greevy has made many highly successful recordings, among them a nomination for Gramophone's Record of the Year. She has a particular affinity with the music of Mahler and has recently taken part in a major Mahler series in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Charles Dutoit, and another highly acclaimed series with the RTE Symphony Orchestra under Janos Furst.

Among the awards with which Bernadette Greevy has been honoured are the Harriet Cohen International Music Award for 'outstanding artistry' and the Order of Merit of the Order of Malta. She has been given an Honorary Doctorate of Music by the National University of Ireland. Most recently the honour of 'Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice' was conferred on her by the Holy See.

In 1985 at the invitation of the Chinese Ministry of Culture, Miss Greevy toured the People's Republic of China where he gave recitals and Master Classes. She has also given Master Classes in New Zealand and gives regular series at the National Concert Hall in Dublin and on RTE Radio and Television.

In March 1988, and as part of the Dublin City Millennium, Trinity College, University of Dublin, conferred on Bernadette Greevy the degree of Doctor of Music.

Yan Pascal Tortelier was born in Paris in 1947. He studied piano and violin from the age of four and at fourteen won first prize for the violin at the Paris Conservatoire. Following early studies with Nadia Boulanger, he went to study conducting with Franco Ferrara in Siena. From 1974 -1983 he was leader and Associate Conductor of the Orchestre du Capitole in Toulouse. From 1989/90 he is Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Ulster Orchestra in Northern Ireland.

Tortelier has worked with all the major symphony and chamber orchestras in London and throughout the United Kingdom. Guest engagements worldwide include the Cincinnati Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Chamber Symphony of New York, Vancouver Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, Barcelona Symphony, Madrid Radio Symphony and Tokyo's Yomiuri Nippon Symphony.

His operatic debut was in 1978 in Toulouse with 'Cosi fan tutte'. He has guested in the opera houses of Paris, Lyon, Naples, Scottish Opera and has done several productions for English National Opera.

Tortelier now makes his home in London and records exclusively for Chandos Records.

Credits:

• BERNADETTE GREEVY - mezzo-soprano
• ULSTER ORCHESTRA - Leader, Richard Howarth
• YAN PASCAL TORTELIER - conductor

Track List:

1. Hector Berlioz - Les Nuits d'été, op. 7 I. Villanelle
2. Hector Berlioz - Les Nuits d'été, op. 7 II. Le Spectre de la rose
3. Hector Berlioz - Les Nuits d'été, op. 7 III: Sur les lagunes (Lamento)
4. Hector Berlioz - Les Nuits d'été, op. 7 IV. Absence
5. Hector Berlioz - Les Nuits d'été, op. 7 V. Au cimetière
6. Hector Berlioz - Les Nuits d'été, op. 7 VI. L'Ile inconnue
7. Henri Duparc - Chanson triste
8. Henri Duparc - Le Manoir de Rosemonde
9. Henri Duparc - L'Invitation au voyage
10. Henri Duparc - Soupir
11. Henri Duparc - Phidylé
12. Henri Duparc - La Vie antérieure
13. Henri Duparc - Serenade florentine

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Other recordings by Bernadette Greevy

• A Sheaf of Songs from Ireland
• MAHLER: Kindertotenlieder / Ruckert-Lieder
• Victory: Ultima Rerum
• Sings Bach Arias
• Sings Brahms
• Handel: Arias

Richard Lewis - Arias by handel & English Folk Songs (1997)

Liner Notes:

To many people Richard Lewis's career began when an informed source in Brussels wrote towards the end of 1945 to Rudolf Bing, then general manager of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera: 'I have a really excellent English tenor for you, who looks wonderful, has a very beautiful voice, is a superb musician and has absolute mastery of Mozart's style... I have not heard such beautiful Mozart singing for a long time.' Glyndebourne acted, but it was another three years before Lewis actually sang Mozart for the Company, and then only at the Edinburgh Festival (Don Giovanni); his real association with Glyndebourne began in 1950, but then he sang there virtually every season between 1950-67, and made his final appearance only in 1979.

Richard Lewis (1914-90) was a Welshman, born Thomas Thomas in Manchester. He studied at the Royal Manchester College with Norman Allin and joined the Carl Rosa Opera Company in 1941, singing Pinkerton and Almaviva, before war service claimed him for the next four years. In 1946 he came to the attention of Benjamin Britten, who immediately engaged him for the English Opera Group as the Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia which the Company was performing as guests of Glyndebourne in 1947. Malcolm Sargent also heard him at this time and set him on his twin career as an oratorio singer. During the next few years he sang Ferrando for Sadler's Wells and Dmitri and Peter Grimes at Covent Garden, and made his first recordings (for Decca, including a stylish 78rpm coupling in French of Nadir's Je crois entendre encore from The Pearl Fishers and En ferment les yeux from Manon: both on Dutton CDLX7020).

When Glyndebourne reopened in Sussex in 1950 Richard Lewis sang the first of many Ferrando's there, and the following year made an even bigger impression as Idomeneo when Fritz Busch and Carl Ebert staged the first professional performances of the opera in England. In subsequent years he appeared in Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, Alceste, Fidelio, Ariadne auf Naxos, L'incoronazione di Poppea and Jephtha (Glyndebourne's staged version of Handel's oratorio), and he created the role of Tom Rakewell in the first UK performance of The Rake's Progress. Altogether he sang in over 350 stage performances at Glyndebourne, and was last seen in the 1979 revival of Il rittorno d'Ulisse in patria. At Covent Garden he extended his repertoire to take in Don Jose, Alfredo, Hoffman, and Hermann in The Queen of Spades. Then he sang in other Britten operas, notably as Captain Vere in Billy Budd, and created the roles of Troilus in Walton's Troilus and Cressida, Mark in Tippett's The Midsummer Marriage and Achilles in his King Priam.

Unsurprisingly, he became much in demand overseas, and was seen at opera houses in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Chicago, Zagreb and Buenos Aires. He had the distinction of appearing in the French and American premières, as well as the British (at Covent Garden), of Schönberg's Moses and Aaron. Lewis was especially popular in the USA where the San Francisco Opera became a second home. Don José was his debut role there (1955) and in a 13-year association he took in Puccini's Des Grieux and Pinkerton, Jenik in The Bartered Bride, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, Herod in Salome, the Captain in Wozzeck and Jason in Samuel Barber's Medea. Between 1968-71 he taught at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, alongside his success on the operatic stage he became equally well known on the concert platform. Here it had quickly became obvious that he was set to inherit the mantle of the tenors of previous generations such as John Coates, Gervase Elwes and Heddle Nash, and he established himself in works such as Messiah, Elijah and The Dream of Gerontius. He sang over eighty performances of Gerontius, recorded it with both Sir Malcolm Sargent and Sir John Barbirolli, and made his farewell in it (1983). He became particularly associated with Sargent, to whose celebrated recording of Coleridge-Taylor's Hiawatha's Wedding Feast he contributed a mellifluous 'Onaway! Awake beloved'. Together they embarked on a famous series of recordings of The Savoy Operas, in nearly all of which Lewis took the principal tenor role. With Beecham he sang in Beethoven's Choral Symphony and Mass in C (recording the latter) and Berlioz's Grande Messe des Morts. One work in which he was especially admired was Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde of which recordings exist with both George Szell and Fritz Reiner. Stravinsky chose him for the first performance of his Canticum Sacrum (1956), and he sang in the première recording of Tippett's A Child of Our Time.

One does not need to delve into Richard Lewis's career for very long before its outstanding feature becomes evident: his sheer versatility. Few singers of his day were as at home on the operatic stage as on the concert platform. In opera houses his handsome stage presence lent credibility to whatever role he undertook, and in the concert hall he established himself as the lyric tenor of the day. His range was from light opera to the most sophisticated modern score, and in everything he did he was as much admired for his sound musicianship and quick learning ability as for his flexible and evenly produced tone quality, which remained astonishingly constant throughout his career.

Richard Lewis's famous recording in English of nine extracts drawn from the oratorios of Handel, reissued on this disc in its entirety, was first published in 1957. It gathered together a number of favourite arias which in the days of 78s had been much sought after from English tenors such as Walter Widdop, Heddle Nash and Webster Booth, while for other admirers up and down the country who flocked to hear Lewis and Sargent in Messiah it was more of the admired same. Its public appeal was instantaneous, despite a few critical murmurings about Sargent's favoured use of a substantial orchestra and the resulting absence of authenticity; but, with the tenor at his best and the LSO's accompaniments most sympathetic and stylish, nothing could prevent it from becoming a huge popular success.

Tracks 11-22 have been selected from an LP entitled 'Folksongs of the British Isles' which appeared in 1960. Twelve of the original nineteen songs are included, which Richard Lewis sings to a variety of accompaniments ranging from harp alone (Tina Bonifacio) to a chamber orchestra led by Robert Masters. The sleeve of the original issue suggested that all were arranged by the Norwegian composer Arne Dörumsgaard (b. 1921). All are sung in English, except for An Eriskay Love Lilt (in Gaelic) and Ar hyd y nos, in which the singer reminds us of his Welsh origins.

Credits:

Handel arias -

• London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent
• No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London 28-30 September 1957 HMV ASD291 (2XEA1105/6) 1958

English Folk Songs -

• Chamber Orchestra conducted by Charles Mackerras with Tina Bonifacio (harp)
• No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London 16-17 April 1959 HMV ALP1777 (2XEA1105/6) 1960 First stereo release

Track List:

1. War, he sung, is toil and trouble (Alexander's Feast)
2. Total Eclipse! (Samson)
3. Where'er you walk (Semele)
4. Thanks to my brethren... How vain is man (Judas Maccabeus)
5. So long the memory shall last... While Kedron's brook (Joshua)
6. Recit: Deeper, and deeper still...
7. Waft her, angels (Jephtha)
8. Would you gain the tender creature (Acis and Galatea)
9. For ever blessed (Jephtha)
10. My arms! ... Sound an alarm (Judas Maccabeus)
11. The Maypole song
12. I will give my love an apple
13. Bingo
14. The foggy, foggy dew
15. The Helston Furry Dance
16. O Waly, Waly
17. The briery bush
18. O love it is a killing thing
19. The stuttering lovers
20. An Eriskay Love Lilt
21. All through the night
22. There's none to soothe

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Other recordings featuring Richard Lewis:

• Monteverdi - Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria / Benjamin Luxon, Janet Baker, Robert Lloyd, Richard Lewis, Anne Howells, Raymond Leppard, Glyndebourne Opera
• Mozart - Idomeneo / Barstow, Goeke, Betley, Lewis, Oliver, Pritchard, Glyndebourne Opera
• Berlioz: Grande Messe des Morts
• Great Choruses From Messiah
• Handel: Messiah
• Verdi: Messa da Requiem; I vespri siciliana Overture; Schubert: Mass in E flat, D950
• Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius
• Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance; Overtures
• Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral"
• Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
• Mozart: Mitridate, re di Ponto, KV 87 (79)
• Gilbert & Sullivan: The Yeoman of the Guard
• Walton: Scenes From Troilus & Cressida
• Johann Strauss II: Die Fledermaus
• Mendelssohn: ElijahRichard Wagner: Der Fliegende Hollander [The Flying Dutchman] [COMPLETE RECORDING] (Leonie Rysanek, George London, Karl Liebl, Giorgio Tozzi, Richard Lewis, Rosalind Elias; Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Antal Dorati)
• Tippett: The Midsummer Marriage
• Mozart: Sacred Choral Masterpieces
• Mozart: Die Zauberflöte
• Arnold Schönberg: Gurre-Lieder

Moscow Cathedral Choir - Missa Mystica (2000)

Beginning in the 1990s, there was a surge of Western interest in Russian liturgical music, the catalyst being the greater freedom of Russian cathedral choirs to perform and issue recordings. Although some Russian Orthodox chant certainly was not unknown to the rest of the world, it's been a pleasure during these past few years to discover the various individual styles of choirs and to learn of a vast repertoire virtually unheard outside of Russia (and even by most Russians). It's too bad that there's no information in the liner notes to this fine recording regarding the Moscow Cathedral Choir—an ensemble that's remarkable for its expressive range and for the technical virtuosity of its singers. Following the opening Vater unser (Our Father), sung by a sweet-sounding, unaccompanied (boy?) soprano we're jolted from our chairs by a solo bass voice singing a D-flat that's not just low, but so resonant that your subwoofer may need a tune-up afterward, especially since he intones the same note for the chant's entire four minutes and 16 seconds! He's joined by harmonizing male voices, but you'll never become distracted from nor will you forget the power of those bass notes.

In addition to chant-like works, mostly sung by men, we also hear full-fledged compositions for mixed choir in a very well-balanced and beautifully performed program whose title, Missa Mystica, refers to a sequence that encompasses the ecclesiastical year, "symbolizing the progression of a human life." Rich in texture and brimming with shimmering harmonies, the music, although varied in text, tempos, rhythmic style, and scoring, is consistent in the ardent, sincere expression it inspires from the singers—spirituality in one of its most fundamental and affecting guises. The sound, from a Moscow studio, is sufficiently detailed and well-balanced, and suitably resonant—warm in the bass registers, slightly edgy in the treble (which becomes a problem in louder dynamic passages). This is one of the better recordings available of Russian Orthodox hymns and chants, and will make a worthy addition to any collection.

—David Vernier, Classics Today.com

Credits:

• Moscow Cathedral Choir
• Victor Popov, Director

Track List:

1. Our father — Russian Orthodox Chant
2. Truly meet and right, Orthodox hymn — Greek Traditional
3. God is the Lord, Russian Orthodox hymn; Thy birth—Christmas Troparion — Anonymous
4. Nunc Dimittis — Strokin
5. I think of the Dreadful Day, concerto for Chorus — Alexander Andreyevich Arkhangel'sky
6. Let my prayer arise, for chorus (Da ispravitsa molitva moya) — Pavel Grigor'yevich Chesnokov
7. Today here hangs the cross — Russian Orthodox Chant
8. God shall arise, Orthodox hymn — Greek Traditional
9. Holy God — Russian Orthodox Chant
10. With the saints give rest (Kondakion) — Russian Orthodox Chant
11. Eternal remembrance/Blessed are they whom you have chosen — Anonymous
12. Our father — Russian Orthodox Chant
13. Blessed are they whom Thous has chosen — Alexander Andreyevich Arkhangel'sky
14. Before Thy Cross, for chorus — P. Gontcharov
15. Lord, have mercy — Grigor F. Lvovsky
16. Great Doxology — Apostol Nikolaev-Strumsky
17. Blessed is the man — Greek Orthodox Chant
18. Cherubim Hymn — Dimitry Stepanovich Bortnyansky
19. Do not cast me off in the time of old age (Ne otverzhi mene vo vremya starosti), for chorus — Pavel Grigor'yevich Chesnokov
20. From My Youth, Antiphone, tone 4 (From the Hirmologion of 1707) — Russian Orthodox Chant

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Beethoven - 10 Varied Themes for Flute and Piano (1972)

One of those forgotten minor gems by Beethoven. Long out of print and no complete recording by anyone currently available. The Musical Heritage Society had a penchant for releasing stuff like this. Sadly many of their older recordings have never been re-issued.

Liner Notes:

In a letter dated March, 1819, to his close friend Ferdinand Ries, Beethoven, in speaking of the recently completed monumental Hammerklavier Sonata, wrote, "The Sonata was composed under distressful circumstances, for it is hard to write almost for the sake of bread alone, and to this pass I have come." Indeed, in almost all the Beethoven letters of this period, one comes across the same complaint in various forms; namely, that the composer was compelled to do a lot of "scribbling" for the sake of money in order to procure leisure for great works. In addition to the hackwork, some of the "distressful circumstances" mentioned above included the tragically drawn-out legal suit Beethoven was bringing against his widowed sister-in-law in order to gain custody of his nephew Karl. Admirers of the composer's genius are rarely surprised, therefore, at the outbursts of demonic strength exhibited in some of the major works of the 1818-23 period: it is almost as if Beethoven were seeking some sort of heroic release from the pitiful circumstances of his private life.

And yet, a selfish posterity is grateful for the pitiful circumstances which compelled Beethoven to seek release in his art. It is even grateful that the composer had "to write almost for the sake of bread alone," for to the group of hackwork "scribblings" dating from this period we owe one of Beethoven's most charming and uncharacteristic works, the Ten Varied Themes for Pianoforte with optional accompaniment of flute or violin, Op. 107. The history of this delicious masterpiece in small is as follows:

On January 1, 1816, Beethoven's English publisher George Thomson wrote the composer and asked him to send him some specimen airs from Germany, Poland, Russia, the Tyrol, Venice, and Spain. Previously, Beethoven had done some work on selected British airs for Thomson and this had stimulated his interest in this particular branch of music. Thus had the idea come into being of some arrangements for trio of the folksongs of various nationalities. Beethoven was delighted with Thomson's request and on the following July 8th, sent him eighteen such airs, following this up shortly afterwards with one more.

According to C. B. Oldman ("Beethoven's Variations on National Themes: Their Composition and First Publication," Music Review, XII, 1951, pp. 45-51—summarized as one of Elliot Forbes' emendations to the masterly Thayer biography, Vol. II, p. 716), Thomson's subsequent request that Beethoven construct six potpourri overtures "for the pianoforte with these melodies as a basis" was humorously rejected by the composer. A later request from another publisher, Birchall, for "variations for favorite English, Scottish, and Irish airs," also came to nothing. Finally, on June 25, 1817, Thomson offered 72 ducats for variations (not more than eight) on any twelve of the airs "in an agreeable style and not too difficult."

When Beethoven finally answered (on February 21, 1818), it was with a counter-proposal that he compose twelve themes with variations either separately or simultaneously with twelve potpourri overtures, for the sum of 224 ducats.

Thomson's reply was to the effect that the composer could choose the majority of his themes from the Scottish airs which he already had harmonized and add a flute part ad libitum to the accompaniment. The publisher added, rather naively: And it would be quite desirable if you wrote the variations in a style that is familiar and easy and a bit brilliant, so that the majority of our ladies may play them and relish them." Whatever Beethoven may have thought of his publisher's advice, we know from the music that he complied with Thomson's requests to the letter, composing in all sixteen Themes and Variations on folk-song material. According to Thayer, six of them were published by Artaria in Vienna (Op. 105) and the other ten by Simrock in Bonn. (Op. 107).

In 1941, Breitkopf and Härtel brought out the numbers of Op. 107 in a rather expensive five-volume set (2 themes apiece). This is to be regretted, as the interested student, listener, and/or performer has no alternative, if he wishes to obtain the work, but to acquire Volume 19 of the Breitkopf Complete Works or the separate Breitkopf edition (which, incidentally, is difficult to get hold of). Possibly this accounts for the relative neglect which Beethoven's folk-song potpourris have been subjected to since their initial appearance. As was mentioned earlier, Op. 107 is a lovely and delightful work, made doubly interesting by the massive opus (the Hammerklavier) which it chronologically follows. In other words, it is fascinating to compare the piano writing, the emotional and technical resources of the folk-song potpourris to the deliberate aesthetic of the flawed masterpiece composed almost simultaneously with them. In the Hammerklavier, Beethoven, as had previously been the case with the Eroica Symphony, consciously tried to break with his artistic past and create something grander, more stirring, more resourceful than he had hitherto produced. Thus, to a friend who told the composer early in 1818 how moved he had been by a performance of the youthful Septet, Op. 20, Beethoven replied ". . . at that time [i.e. the year Op. 20 first appeared] I scarcely knew how to compose. Now [with the production of Op. 106] I am much more knowledgable." (!) One is reminded of Beethoven's remark after the composition of the great C sharp minor String Quartet: "Thank God there is less a lack of fancy than before!"

Thank God, too, that he saw fit to "relax" artistically, so to speak, after his most ambitious creations. To this "fancy" we owe the brilliant piano writing, the lovely flute/violin embellishments, the daring (extremely so) harmonic touches to be found in the Ten Varied Themes. Of the three versions in which the work may be found —piano solo, piano with violin or flute accompaniment—this writer prefers the one recorded here, as the piano/ flute combination generally called forth Beethoven's most exquisite coloristic experiments. For example, the careful listener should pay particular attention to the alternations of B Flat/C Flat in the opening variation of the ninth set and to the later alternations of FAG Flat in the same movement. The crowning variation of the entire work is unquestionably the penultimate one, which contains florid piano writing (Adagio espressivo) comparable to the great variation sets that followed: namely, the slow movements of Opp. 109, 111, and the Variations Nos. 29-31 of the Diabelli set. Altogether, an unjustly neglected representative of the composer's "unbuttoned" (the word is Beethoven's own) artistic moods.

MARK GANTT

Credits:

• Warren Thew, Piano
• Raymond Meylan, Flute

Track List:

1. 10 Varied Themes for Flute and Piano - I Air Tyrolian
2. 10 Varied Themes for Flute and Piano - II Air Ecossais
3. 10 Varied Themes for Flute and Piano - III Air de la Petite Russie
4. 10 Varied Themes for Flute and Piano - IV Air Ecossais
5. 10 Varied Themes for Flute and Piano - V Air Tyrolian
6. 10 Varied Themes for Flute and Piano - VI Air Ecossais
7. 10 Varied Themes for Flute and Piano - VII Air Russe
8. 10 Varied Themes for Flute and Piano - VIII Air Ecossais
9. 10 Varied Themes for Flute and Piano - IX Air Ecossais
10. 10 Varied Themes for Flute and Piano - X Air Ecossais

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Other Recordings by these Performers:

• Max Kuhn, Joseph Haydn: Piano Concertos
• Piano Concertos by Joseph Haydn & Max Kuhn
• Bernard Reichel: Intrada, Pièce concertante, Suite de danses, Suite pour orchestre de chambre
• Bernard Reichel: Concertino pour piano et orchestre; Rhapsodie pour flûte et orchestre; Sonata en trio; Octuor
• Oeuvres de Bernard Reichel

American Communal Music of the 18th and 19th Centuries, Volume 1

Classical music from 17th and 18th century America is not often heard, European music of the same era being more abundant and the composers better known. This recording uncovers some real jewels from this little known era, all of which were influenced by early Moravian, Shaker and Harmonist communities. A cross-section of instrumental and choral works are included. This is a delightful recording which was never issued on CD. The recording was originally funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and was overseen by the National Historic Communal Societies Association.

Credits: Collegium Musicum of the School of Music of Ohio University, Richard D. Wezel, Director

Choral Ensemble:

• Coleen Bachman
• Matt Griffin
• Dana Hendricks
• Anne Hook
• Kevin King
• Paul Leedy
• Daniel Melvin
• Edward Payne
• Heidi Saari
• Jeffrey Schneider
• Kira Seaton
• Donna Seelhörst
• Metra Smith
• Steve Stewart
• Sherry Woodroof
• Ira Zook

Instrumentalists:

• Marcia Henry, violin 1
• Sam McClure, violin 2
• Eun Soon Lee, viola
• Michele Senger, violoncello
• Rick Leinecker, horn 1
• Salvatore Lovano, horn 2
• Eileen Latimer, flute
• Audrey Tice, clarinet
• Steve Reisteter, clarinet and flute
• Harold Robison, bassoon 1
• Julie Bastian, bassoon 2
• Geoffrey Fischer, harpsichord

 

Track List:

1. Michael - Parthia No. VI in F - III Menuet
2. Michael - Parthia No. VI in F - IV Rondo Allegretto
3. Grimm - Terzetto in G Major - I Allegro
4. Grimm - Terzetto in G Major - III Vivace
5. Grimm - Trio for Violin, Cello and Continuo - I Adagio
6. Gaudeamus Priter Omnes - Nun last unser dieser Frist
7. Geisler - Die Frucht des Geistes is Liebe
8. Happy Home
9. Solemn Song
10. Am I Worthy
11. Great I little i
12. Come Up Hither
13. Müller - Die Menschenlieb
14. Müller - Herr, Führe Mich
15. Eckensperger - Aria - O Nacht! Und O du Feyerliche Stille
16. Eckensperger - Chorale - Wie wird des Grabes Nacht entweichen
17. Bonnhorst - Quadrille No. 1
18. Peters - Economy Waltz
19. Peters - Economy Quickstep

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Other Recordings:

• David Moritz Michael: Parthien 6-9
• David Moritz Michael: The Water Journey/Parthias 1 & 2
• David Moritz Michael: Parthien 10-14
• David Moritz Michael The Water Journey
• David Moritz Michael: By a Spring
• Lost Music of Early America: Music of the Moravians
• Morning Star -- Music in Moravian America
• Simple Gifts: Shaker Chants and Spirituals
• Early Shaker Spirituals
• Gentle Words: Shaker Songs

 

Jean-Pierre Rampal and René Bartoli - Music for Flute and Guitar (1967)

Jean-Pierre Rampal has long been my favorite flutist and this is an LP that I have had in my personal collection from the 70s. This is just delightful music, delightfully and skillfully played. Liner notes below.

 

In our electronic age, the average man usually experiences live music as part of an audience in a concert hall, with the performer separated from him by the footlights and proscenium arch of a stage. This is, and has long been, a perfectly normal state of musical affairs, and most of today's music patrons accept it without question.
But there was a time when music was a far more intimate affair, when small groups gathered in salons and drawing rooms of private homes or in the halls of great palaces to hear music of perhaps more immediate impact. From the time of the Renaissance well into the age of Romanticism, music making was a unique participation experience almost unimaginable to today's dial-twisting music lover. To bring music into the courts of the mighty, there were, of course, geniuses of the caliber of Handel, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. But throughout Europe, in homes great and small, amateur music making was of an unusually high order, often on a par with the best professional talent of the day.

 

Most favored for such "home" entertainment was undoubtedly a keyboard instrument—clavier, harpsichord, or, during the latter part of the 18th century, the pianoforte. But a variety of other less mechanically elaborate instruments vied with the keyboard for popularity, and among these were the guitar and the flute.

 

The flute has existed since the earliest times, and its dulcet tones have never failed to fall sweetly upon the ears of shepherd and aristocrat alike. The instrument underwent countless improvements until, in the 17th and 18th centuries, it had reached such a sophisticated stage that the famous flutist Johann Joachim Quantz could publish, in 1752, an entire book devoted to the subject of flute playing (Versuch einer Anweisung die Flute traversiere zu spielen). The modern flute was perfected in 1847.

 

The history of the guitar, while perhaps not as venerable as that of the flute, is nevertheless long and distinguished. Prototypes of the modern guitar have been traced back to ancient Egypt, and it is thought that the instrument came to Europe by way of the Orient via the Moorish occupation of Spain. The five-course "Spanish" guitar was introduced into France in the 17th century by Italian actors. Then, in the middle of the 18th century, six single strings were substituted for the five pairs of strings, and the modern guitar began to take final form.

 

As popular as were the flute and guitar during the 18th century, surprisingly little music was written for this particularly agreeable combination of instruments. In this album, two of Europe's most celebrated artists, Jean-Pierre Rampal and Rene Bartoli, demonstrate the tonal and stylistic compatibility of these two instruments in a program of music similar to those performed in salons of music connoisseurs of the 18th century.

 

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Jean-Baptiste Loeillet (1680-1730) was born in Ghent and spent five years, from 1705 to 1710, in 7 London, where he played the flute and oboe in the orchestra of the Queen's Theatre. His style is less typical of French music than of Italian, and it contains elements of what has been called "Handelian solidity."

 

Robert de Visée (1650-1725) was a French guitarist, singer and composer who served many years as chamber musician to King Louis XIV, at whose court he succeeded in making the guitar more popular than the lute. Like Quantz, he was an author, publishing two instruction books on the art of the guitar.

 

Mauro Giuliani (1781-1828) has been called "the most renowned of Italian guitarists and one of the most brilliant guitar virtuosos the world has known. He spent the years 1807-1821 in Vienna, during which time his musicianship was much admired by Ludwig van Beethoven; and his style reflects a strong Viennese influence.

 

Track List:

 

JEAN-BAPTISTE LOEILLET: SONATA IN A MINOR FOR FLUTE AND GUITAR, OP. 1, NO. 1

1. Adagio (2:47)
2. Allegro (3:26)
3. Adagio (2:39)
4. Gigue (2:03)

ROBERT DE VISEE: SUITE IN D MINOR FOR GUITAR (7:55)

5. Prelude
6. Sarabande
7. Gavotte
8. Menuets I
9. Menuet II
10. Bourrée

MAURO GIULIANI: GRAND SONATA IN A MAJOR FOR FLUTE AND GUITAR, OP. 85

11. Andante maestoso (6:32)
12. Andante molto sostenuto (4:37)
13. Scherzo; Trio (3:34)
14. Allegretto espressivo (4:57)

Download Link: Enjoy the Music!

 

Other recordings by Jean-Pierre Rampal:

• Japanese Melodies for Flute and Harp
• The Great Flute Concertos
• Bolling: Suite for Flute & Jazz Piano Trio
• Best of 
• Bach: Flute Sonatas
• W. Amadeus Mozart
• Jean-Pierre Rampal Plays Scott Joplin
• The Essential Jean-Pierre Rampal
• Telemann: Twelve Fantasias For Flute Solo
• Rampal: Greatest Hits
• Flute & Harp

Other recordings by René Bartoli:

•  Récital de guitare - Bach, Haendel, Villa-Lobos, Tarrega, Albéniz / René Bartoli