Personal favourites from September's plentiful crop of new releases include an affectionate, wide-ranging birthday tribute to Arvo Pärt from Paavo Järvi (who has known the composer for most of his life) and the Estonian Festival Orchestra on Alpha Classics, an heroic triptych of Dvořák, Glazunov and Strauss from Jakub Hrůša in Bamberg on Accentus Music, a 150th-anniversary homage to Lithuanian composer and painter Mikolajus Čiurlionis from Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (plus family-members) on Deutsche Grammophon, and an 'unfailingly engaging' Idomeneo from Sir Simon Rattle in Munich on BR Klassik.
Arvo Pärt: Credo
Estonian Festival Orchestra, Paavo Järvi
'The Estonian composer could scarcely wish for a more affectionate ninetieth-birthday gift than this lovingly-prepared, comprehensive portrait from Järvi (whose father premiered the title-work in 1968 and defied the Soviet authorities by continuing to programme it after it was banned on grounds of its religious content and 'subversive' form). Popular works such as Fratres and the Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten receive luminous performances, but it's the two more recent tone-poems which stand out: La Sindone (written for the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics) depicts the Shroud of Turin in visceral detail, whilst Silhouette (which Järvi commissioned for the Orchestre de Paris) paints an eerie, atmospheric picture of the Eiffel Tower on a cloudy day.' (Katherine Cooper)
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Strauss: Ein Heldenleben - Dvořák: A Hero's Song - Glazunov: To the Memory of A Hero
Bamberger Symphoniker, Jakub Hrůša
'Three works exploring the theme of heroism, beginning with a splendid account of Dvořák’s A Hero's Song characterised by energetic strings and plangent woodwind, and followed by a noble performance of Glazunov’s To The Memory of a Hero. The main course is Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben: it’s a work that can be hard to balance (particularly in the densely-orchestrated battlefield section), but Hrůša does a splendid job. On occasion I yearned for a touch more beefiness to some of the brass writing, but to compensate there’s a wealth of woodwind and string detail that is often buried yet comes across here with great clarity.' (James Longstaffe)
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Back to Nature: Čiurlionis & Gražinis
Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
'Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla devotes a whole album to Lithuanian Romantics, with Mikolajus Čiurlionis (150 this September) the primary focus. His two sweeping tone-poems are a wonderful calling-card for his impressionistic style, complementing his rather Klimt-esque painting that graces the album cover. Jūra (The Sea) with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra evokes Debussy’s billowing waves with a touch of Nielsen’s heroic Helios around the edges and a soundworld that wouldn’t seem out of place in a Golden Age Hollywood soundtrack, while Miške (In the Forest) with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France paints a warmer and more placid picture that could almost pass for extra sonic footage from the calmer moments of Strauss’s Alpine Symphony.' (David Smith)
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Mozart: Idomeneo
Andrew Staples (Idomeneo), Magdalena Kožená (Idamante), Sabine Devieilhe (Ilia), Elsa Dreisig (Elettra), Linard Vrielink (Arbace), Allan Clayton (High Priest of Neptune), Tareq Nazmi (Voice of the Oracle), Symphonieorchester und Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Sir Simon Rattle
'In something of a dream cast, Andrew Staples brings focus and dramatic expression to the lead role, and in the trouser role of Idamante, Magdalena Kožená is the perfect counterpart. Elsa Dreisig brings the ideal combination of revengeful fury and unflappable vocal technique to the role of Elettra, and in her Act 3 aria, Sabine Devieilhe's light elegance and formidable vocal range perfectly express Ilia's wish for her love to be conveyed to Idomeneo. Rattle brings all this together with the finely balanced clarity of the Bayerischen Rundfunks forces to produce an unfailingly engaging recording of Mozart's opera seria, written in a combination of the French and Italian styles of the period, and the recorded sound is superb.' (Matthew Ash)
Available Formats: 3 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 & Three Intermezzi Op. 117
Francesco Piemontesi (piano), Gewandhausorchester, Manfred Honeck
'“Power and expression without harshness” is how Piemontesi describes his pianistic ideal, and that could hardly be better demonstrated than in this tremendous performance of Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2, in which he contrasts great heft in the second movement with graceful, delicate passagework in the fourth. Manfred Honeck and the Gewandhausorchester are ideal partners, bold and muscular in the big orchestral tuttis, yet delicate and tender as required, with a yearning cello solo at the start of the third movement. Piemontesi follows this with exquisite accounts of the three Intermezzi, Op. 117.' (James Longstaffe)
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9
London Symphony Orchestra, Antonio Pappano
'Pappano’s Vaughan Williams series continues to impress. The colours in the first movement of the Fifth shift and change in a silk-smooth, almost watercolour-ish way that I haven’t heard from anyone else; the slow movement is perhaps a little diffident for my tastes, but ultimately this isn’t supposed to be overwrought Mahlerian fare. The Ninth is ubiquitously described as ‘enigmatic’ but I wish people wouldn’t - it’s not as murkily impenetrable as reputation makes it! Pappano steers clear of too much portentous darkness in the opening phrases, setting the tone for a performance that is grandiose and stately rather than oppressive or angry. His approach to the Fourth and Sixth symphonies back in 2021 was impressively violent and stressful; what I love most about this account of the Ninth is that it isn’t.' (David Smith)
Available Formats: SACD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
The World Feels Dusty
Dame Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano), Joseph Middleton (piano)
'This is a beautifully programmed recital, brought to life with consummate artistry from both singer and pianist. The sensitivity and colour of Joseph Middleton's playing never cease to enchant, and Sarah Connolly's voice has developed an additional warmth of colour that she uses with her characteristic musicianship to bring every facet of these songs to life. There is innate understanding in this partnership, both of each other and of the music, demonstrated across all five of the featured composers. The song from which the album takes its name is a powerful example, a seamless union between composer (Copland), poet (Dickinson) and musicians, and if you aren't already familiar with the music of Errollyn Wallen, Connolly and Middleton will leave you reaching for more.' (Matthew Ash)
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Saint-Saëns: L'Ancêtre
Jennifer Holloway (Nunciata), Gaëlle Arquez (Vanina), Hélène Carpentier (Margarita), Julien Henric (Tébaldo), Michael Arivony (Raphaël), Matthieu Lécroart (Bursica); Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Philharmonic Chorus of Tokyo, Kazuki Yamada
'On the evidence of this terrifically-played and sung recording, it's a real mystery as to why Saint-Saëns's late opera doesn't get out more. Centring on a blood-feud between two Corsican families during the Napoleonic Wars, it's marvellously compact and colourful, sounding like Mascagni with a French accent in places and striking just the right balance between blood-and-thunder drama and luminous pastoral episodes. Highlights include the hermit-cum-beekeeper Raphaël's serenade to his apian charges at the end of Act One, vengeful nonna Nunciata's elegy for her murdered grandson, and the gorgeous quartet for the three women and Tébaldo just before the Rigoletto-ish denouement.' (Katherine Cooper)
Available Formats: CD + Book, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
