On the first Sunday of every month, WRTI broadcasts a special edition of our program Sunday Classical focused on new releases. Join Mark Pinto on Dec. 1, 3-6 p.m. to hear highlights from each of these albums. Here are his notes on the selections.
Matilda Lloyd (trumpet), London Symphony Orchestra, Lee Reynolds (conductor)
Echoes of the past resonate throughout this new recording by British trumpet virtuoso Matilda Lloyd. Highlights include two concertos — the 1968 concerto of Polish-born Mieczyslaw Weinberg, filled with menacing quotations from Mahler, Mendelssohn, and Stravinsky; and a brand-new concerto by German-born, English resident Christoph Schönberger, which draws upon the harmonic and melodic language of Romantic-period composers.
Jardins d'Hiver (Winter Gardens)
Lucienne Renaudin Vary (trumpet), Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Sascha Goetzel (conductor)
Light the fire, put on some tea, and cozy up with this new album of arrangements for trumpet and chamber orchestra from French star trumpet player Lucienne Renaudin Vary. She celebrates the winter season with music by de Falla, Bach, Rossini, and Dvořák, sprinkling in bits of Vivaldi’s “Winter” concerto from The Four Seasons, along with Martin and Blane’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Mozart: Serenade in C Major, K. 648 'A Very Little Night Music'
Leonhard Baumgartner (violin), Margarita Pochebut (violin), Svenja Dose (double bass), Oscar Jockel (harpsichord)
Researchers updating the catalog of Mozart’s works recently discovered a previously unknown composition in a Leipzig music library. Written in the mid-to-late 1760s while Mozart was in his early teens, this serenade of seven short movements for string trio was nicknamed “Ganz Kleine Nachtmusik” (A Very Little Night Music) by the librarians. This world-premiere recording features two sought-after teenage violinists collaborating with two continuo bass and harpsichord players.
Venezuela! Music From the Americas, Vol. 1
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Domingo Hindoyan (conductor)
Venezuelan conductor Domingo Hindoyan showcases music by several compatriots in this attractive new release. Composers such as Evencio Castellanos, Juan Bautista Plaza, Antonio Estévez, and Inocente Carreño sought to develop a Venezuelan national musical style during the 20th century. You’ll delight in discovering these beautiful orchestral works, romantic and colorful and full of the evocative rhythms of the Venezuelan landscape.
Liszt: Piano Concertos & Totentanz
Yoav Levanon (piano), Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, Michael Sanderling (conductor)
Yoav Levanon describes Franz Liszt as “a supportive, loving and understanding presence that has accompanied me throughout my journey as a pianist and musician.” Hailed as a young virtuoso, the 20-year-old Israeli pianist knocks out Liszt’s virtuosic First and more introspective Second Concerto and thrilling Totentanz in this must-hear release.
Voces8
The voices of the deservedly popular British vocal group shine like stars in the firmament in this tremendously captivating and luminous recording of short compositions inspired by the night. The emphasis is on music by living composers — Ludovico Einaudi, Max Richter, Dan Forrest, and Koji Kondo among them — plus several world premieres, and classics by Hugo Alfvén and Max Reger. Utterly beguiling music-making.
Fasch: Orchestral Works Vol. 4
Gwyn Roberts (director), Richard Stone (director), Tempesta di Mare
Philadelphia's Baroque Orchestra invites you to continue their journey of discovery of the music of German Baroque composer Johann Friedrich Fasch with their fourth release of the composer’s orchestral works. Tempesta di Mare has been at the forefront of the Fasch renaissance, fascinated by the composer’s distinctive voice alongside his craftsmanship, expressivity, inventiveness and wit.
Orchestra New England, Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra, James Sinclair (conductor)
Released for Charles Ives’ sesquicentennial, this recording boasts seven world premieres among miscellaneous marches, arrangements, fragments, and experimental compositions. Fans of the maverick New England composer couldn’t hope for a more sympathetic conductor than Sinclair, an Ives specialist who has been at the helm of Orchestra New England for the past 50 years.
Bruce Liu (piano)
Commissioned by the editor of a St. Petersburg music magazine, the 12 short pieces that make up Tchaikovsky’s most famous solo piano work were published one a month throughout the year 1876. These lovely, descriptive pieces are rendered by outstanding Canadian pianist Bruce Liu, winner of the 2021 International Chopin Competition and numerous other awards.
Love Letters: Tribute to Clara & Robert Schumann
Christian-Pierre La Marca (cello); Jean-Frédéric Neuberger (piano), Philharmonia Orchestra, Raphaël Merlin (conductor)
The correspondence of Robert and Clara Schumann is the inspiration for this new album from French cellist Christian-Pierre La Marca. Composed over two weeks in 1850 but never played until after Robert’s death, the emotional and enigmatic Cello Concerto joins works for cello and piano by both Schumanns, alongside contemporary pieces that explore the theme of love letters.
Alexandra Heath (soprano), Juilliard School Ensemble, Royal Academy of Music, Barbara Hannigan (conductor)
Remarkable Canadian singer and conductor Barbara Hannigan unites young musicians from both sides of the pond in performances of Stravinsky’s chamber music. This album includes the Octet and “Dumbarton Oaks” Concerto and a selection of songs featuring the young soprano Alexandra Heath.
