On the first Sunday of every month, WRTI broadcasts a special edition of our program Sunday Classical focused on new releases. Join host Mark Pinto on WRTI on April 6 from 3-6 p.m. to hear highlights from each of these albums, and read his thoughts here.
Walton: Violin Concerto, Symphonic Suite from 'Troilus and Cressida', Portsmouth Point
Charlie Lovell-Jones (violin), Sinfonia of London, John Wilson (conductor)
John Wilson and his award-winning Sinfonia of London launch a new series of recordings dedicated to the music of the (underappreciated, IMHO, at least on this side of the pond) 20th century English composer, William Walton. His lyrical, passionate Violin Concerto, played to perfection by Charlie Lovell-Jones, the ensemble’s leader, is heard alongside a suite from his only full-length opera, Troilus and Cressida, and the bustling concert overture, Portsmouth Point, written by Walton at the age of 24.
Bach: Concerti
Beatrice Rana (piano), Amsterdam Sinfonietta
The New York Times has praised Beatrice Rana for her Bach performances of “preternatural sensitivity, sophistication and control, along with a touch of magic.” The award-winning Italian pianist and the Amsterdam Sinfonietta have lived intimately with the music in this recording, taking these four Bach keyboard concertos from concert stages into the recording studio in a collaboration described as “made in heaven.”
Mendelssohn - String Quartets 2 & 6
Goldmund Quartet
The celebrated German ensemble takes listeners on a musical journey through love, loss and hope in this album of music by their compatriot, Felix Mendelssohn. The group pairs Mendelssohn’s youthful String Quartet No. 2 with the Quartet No. 6, an expression of his profound grief after the death of his sister, Fanny. They round out the album with a selection of Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words in exquisite arrangements for string quartet.
Bacewicz, Lutosławski & Szymanowski
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Thomas Søndergård (conductor)
Music Director Thomas Søndergård and his Royal Scottish National Orchestra showcase works by three leading composers from 20th-century Poland who reshaped Polish musical identity as the country endured unimaginable political turmoil. Featured are an orchestral fantasy from Karol Szymanowski’s sensual 1926 opera, King Roger, the complex, bold and colorful Overture for Orchestra (1943) by Grażyna Bacewicz, and Witold Lutosławski’s Symphony No. 3 (1983) which became a powerful symbol of freedom in Poland.
Beethoven: King Stephan, The Ruins of Athens & Leonore Prohaska
Accentus (vocal ensemble), Insula Orchestra, Laurence Equilbey (conductor)
The “Turkish March” from The Ruins of Athens is likely the only familiar selection in this release highlighting a neglected corner of Beethoven’s middle- and late-period output, his incidental music (or music for plays). French conductor Laurence Equilbey, her period instrument Insula Orchestra, her chamber choir Accentus, and vocal soloists perform overtures, marches, choruses, duets, and more from The Ruins of Athens (1811), King Stephan (1811), and Leonore Prohaska (1815).
Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole; Saint-Saëns: Violin Concerto No.3
James Ehnes (violin), BBC Philharmonic, Juanjo Mena (conductor)
Brilliant performances by Canadian violinist James Ehnes are captured in this album paying tribute to the great Spanish violin virtuoso, Pablo de Sarasate. Sarasate was the dedicatee and soloist for the premieres of Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole in 1875 and Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No. 3 in 1880. Sarasate’s own, virtuosic fantasia on Bizet’s Carmen completes this delightful album.
John Field – Complete Nocturnes
Alice Sara Ott (piano)
Award-winning German-Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott introduces us to all 18 of the nocturnes of composer/pianist John Field. Born in Ireland and living during the same period as Beethoven, Field is generally credited as the inventor of the solo piano character piece inspired by, or evocative of, the night -- a lyrical musical genre that inspired Chopin and countless other composers since.
Franz Schubert: Symphonies, Vol. 4
Mary Bevan (soprano), City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner (conductor)
Edward Gardner and the CBSO complete their Schubert symphony cycle with the “Great” Symphony No. 9 in C major. Schubert composed his grand symphony following the onset of syphilis and after a holiday with friends in the Austrian Alps that rejuvenated the composer’s confidence and enthusiasm. Rounding out the recording is a selection of Schubert’s songs – in orchestrated versions by Britten, Berlioz, Brahms, Reger, and Schubert himself – featuring British soprano Mary Bevan.
Lieder
Fatma Said (soprano), Malcolm Martineau (piano), Joseph Middleton (piano), Huw Montague Rendall (baritone), Sabine Meyer (clarinet), Anneleen Lenaerts (harp), Quatuor Arod
Acclaimed Egyptian soprano Fatma Said celebrates the art of German-language songs of the Romantic era in this album of some of the best-loved, and lesser-known, lieder of Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms. In doing so, she collaborates with a host of outstanding musicians, including pianists Malcolm Martineau and Joseph Middleton, clarinetist Sabine Meyer, and the rising young baritone Huw Montague Rendall.
Georg Friedrich Händel: Water & Fire - Water Music & the Music for the Royal Fireworks
Collegium 1704, Václav Luks (conductor)
Any new recording of these beloved works of Handel is always welcome in my book, and this one doesn’t disappoint. Known for their detailed and subtle interpretations and great joy in playing, the Czech early music ensemble Collegium 1704 and their founder/director Václav Luks offer fresh takes on the three suites of Water Music and the Music for the Royal Fireworks, the latter described by Mozart as a “spectacle of English pride and joy.”
Fernande Decruck - Concertante Works, Vol. 2
Jeremy Crosmer (cello), Mahan Esfahani (early keyboard instruments), Mitsuru Kubo (viola), Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Matthew Aubin (conductor)
A satisfying discovery! The world’s foremost scholar and a champion of her music, Music Director Matthew Aubin leads Michigan’s Jackson Symphony Orchestra in a second helping of Fernande Decruck’s works for soloist and orchestra. Known for her works for wind instruments, especially the saxophone, the 20th century French composer was also a renowned organist and later a teacher at the Paris Conservatoire of such students as Olivier Messiaen. In this recording, pieces for solo cello, harpsichord, and viola display Decruck’s diverse compositional voices, along with a charming set of orchestral waltzes.
