The Music Pages | January 2009


	Cat. No.: 478 0650 Barcode: 0028947806509 Label: Decca CD Release Date: January			Julia Fischer \| Bach: Concertos ARTISTS Julia Fischer, violin Alexander Sitkovetsky, violin Andrey Rubtsov, oboe Academy of St Martin’s in the Fields TRACK LISTING J.S. Bach Concerto for two violins in d minor BWV 104 Concerto for violin a minor BWV 1041 Concerto for violin e major BWV 1042 Concerto for violin and oboe c minor BWV 1060 iTunes Bonus track: Vivaldi: Winter (The Four Seasons) - Largo "Across the world thrusting young violinists are two a penny, but there is only Julia Fischer." Geoff Brown, The Times Julia is one of the fastest rising music stars in the world today. Her first Decca release features some of the most commercial violin repertoire of Bach concertos and will set a new benchmark for Bach recordings. 25-year-old Julia Fischer is already being hailed as one of the truly great violinists of the twenty-first century acclaimed as "Artist of the Year" in the prestigious Classic FM Gramophone Awards 2007 and voted "Best Newcomer" by BBC Music Magazine in 2006. At the age of eleven, Julia Fischer not only carried off the top prize at the 1995 International Yehudi Menuhin Competition (overseen by Lord Menuhin himself) but was awarded a special prize for "Best Bach Solo Work". Her 2006 BBC Music Magazine "Best Newcomer" Award was also given in response to her Bach playing - specifically her complete recording of the solo Sonatas & Partitas, of which the jury said: "There are many recordings of Bach’s works for solo violin but rarely do they reach such breathtaking heights of musicianship as this one. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 478 1111 Barcode: 00028947811114 Label: Decca CD Release Date: January			Nelson Freire \| Debussy: Preludes Book 1 ARTISTS Nelson Freire, piano TRACK LISTING DEBUSSY Preludes (Book One): 1. Danseuses de Delphes (Dancers of Delphi) 2. Voiles (Veils or sails) 3. Le vent dans la plaine (The Wind on the Plain) 4. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir (The sounds and fragrances swirl through the evening air) 5. Les collines d'Anacapri (The Hills of Anacapri) 6. Des pas sur la neige (Footsteps in the Snow) 7. Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest (What the West Wind has seen) 8. La fille aux cheveux de lin (The Girl with the Flaxen Hair) 9. La sérénade interrompue (Interrupted Serenade) 10. La cathédrale engloutie (The Engulfed Cathedral) 11. La danse de Puck (Puck's Dance) 12. Minstrels 13. D’un cahier d’esquisses Children’s Corner: 14. Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum 15. Jimbo's Lullaby 16. Serenade for the Doll 17. The Snow is Dancing 18. The Little Shepherd 19. Golliwogg's Cakewalk 20.Clair de lune (from ‘Suite bergamasque’) iTunes bonus track: La plus que lente Debussy favourites performed by award-winning pianist. 'An extraordinary pianist’ New York Times ‘Any new Freire recording is virtually self-recommending’ Dallas Morning News Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire is among the truly great living musicians. His recordings and live performances receive rapturous critical acclaim, and his remarkable musicianship continues to captivate the critics and charm the musical world. He was the winner of the Gramophone Recording of the Year in 2007 for his Brahms Piano Concertos. Nelson has a special affinity with Debussy’s music and his magical style perfectly suits these luminous works – key French piano repertoire, including the famous Children’s Corner and Clair de lune. Recording this Debussy repertoire for the first time on CD, Nelson Freire’s soulful interpretation of these expansive impressionistic jewels of the 19th century is eagerly awaited. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 478 0319 Barcode: 0028947803195 Label: Decca 3CD Release Date: January			Il Giardino Armonico \| Handel: 12 Concerti Grossi Op. 6 ARTISTS Il Giardino Armonico Giovanni Antonini TRACK LISTING HANDEL: 12 Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 The revolutionary Il Giardino Armonico lead the revival of L'Oiseau Lyre "Il Giardino Armonico are as Italian as the music itself... brightly coloured, individualistic, confident, stylish, arrestingly decorated, bubbling with enthusiasm." Gramophone Multi award-winning period performance ensemble Il Giardino Armonico is set to spearhead the revival of the L’Oiseau Lyre label with celebrations of music by Handel and Haydn to mark the composers’ shared anniversary year (2009). Their first new release sees Il Giardino Armonico explore Handel’s Concerti Grossi Op. 6, some of the finest examples of Baroque orchestral concertos. Also planned is the cantata Pianto di Maria, with mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink. Il Giardino Armonico’s pioneering approach to Baroque music has garnered many plaudits, and their ground-breaking Four Seasons was revolutionary: “I have reviewed more than 40 versions of The Four Seasons over the years, but a few of the recent ones have still managed to bring ear-catching freshness to them—and none more than this one.” Gramophone Their famous collaboration with Cecilia Bartoli in The Vivaldi Album was an unprecedented success and brought lesser-known music by this Italian master to millions. Il Giardino Armonico has an unparalleled reputation on the early music scene. The ensemble is led by the charismatic and inspiring Giovanni Antonini, who has a stellar reputation with the critics: “Conductor Giovanni Antonini, and the Italian period band Il Giardino Armonico gave us immaculate performances” The Guardian RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 477 8001 Barcode: 00028947780014 Label: DG CD + DVD Digi Pack Release Date: January			Anne-Sophie Mutter Mendelssohn: Violin concerto · chamber works ARTISTS Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig / Kurt Masur André Previn, piano Lynn Harrell, cello TRACK LISTING MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E minor Op. 64 Piano Trio D minor Op. 49 Violin Sonata F major (1838) Anne-Sophie Mutter presents a unique combined DVD/CD project produced at Mendelssohn’s home town of Leipzig and in Vienna to celebrate his 200th birth anniversary in 2009 (3 February). The extremely popular Violin Concerto was recorded live in concert at the Gewandhaus under the direction of Kurt Masur, and the chamber music at the beautiful Brahms-Saal in the Vienna Musikverein. The release will offer a state-of-the-art audio recording plus a separate full-length DVD that also includes a documentary, and comes in a Super Jewel Box. Over 25 years after her first recording of the Mendelssohn Concerto with Herbert von Karajan, Anne-Sophie Mutter has a fresh, stunning, (fast) new take on one of the most popular concertos in the violin repertoire. Kurt Masur at her side is ideal, the most knowledgeable and experienced Mendelssohn interpreter alive. As the long-time chief conductor of Mendelssohn’s own orchestra (Gewandhaus 1835-1847) he stands for a great tradition and sound. With the Piano Trio No. 1 and the Sonata Anne-Sophie Mutter has chosen masterpieces from Mendelssohn’s chamber music repertoire to broaden the picture. Here too she collaborates with long-term chamber music partners: André Previn and Lynn Harrell. The digital bonus is the splendid Spring Song arrangement by Fritz Kreisler. “...so transparent, light and radiant; the slow movement has seldom conveyed such intimacy, warmth and fervour” – Leipziger Volkszeitung, reviewing the Gewandhaus concert RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 477 7470 Barcode: 0028947774709 Label: DG CD Release Date: January			Vadim Repin; Riccardo Chailly BRAHMS: Violin Concerto; Double Concerto ARTISTS Vadim Repin, violin Truls Mørk, cello Gewandhausorchester / Riccardo Chailly TRACK LISTING BRAHMS: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, Op. 77 BRAHMS: Concert for Violin, Cello and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 102 Vadim Repin’s DG debut with the Wiener Philharmoniker under Riccardo Muti gave the musical world and his many fans exactly what was expected of this first-class violinist: an incomparably refined, technically brilliant and at the same time highly emotional interpretation of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. Such a recording creates a high level of expectation for its follow-up, which Repin has met – and even surpassed – with his second DG album in which he performs another milestone of the violin repertoire. The programme is Brahms; the composer’s beautiful Violin Concerto and the passionate Double Concerto in which Repin is partnered by cellist Truls Mørk. Completing the collaboration is the renowned Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra under its chief conductor Riccardo Chailly. The reason Repin waited to record these crucial pieces of violin repertoire for the first time is simple: he wanted the right partners – the right label, the right orchestra and the right conductor. Now he has them. With this perfect set-up for the Brahms concertos, music lovers will again have a recording to cherish: an album that sets new technical standards and is at the same time a profound expression of great musicality. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 477 7635 Barcode: 0028947776352 Label: DG CD Release Date: January			PAUL McCREESH \| A SPOTLESS ROSE ARTISTS Gabrieli Consort Paul McCreesh TRACK LISTING AVE REGINA COELORUM John Tavener: A Hymn to the Mother of God Josquin Desprez: Ave Maria, virgo serena ANGELUS AD VIRGINEM Igor Stravinsky: Ave Maria Giles Swayne: Magnificat I AVE MATER CHRISTI Jean Mouton: Nesciens Mater Anon, 15th century: Ther is no rose of swych vertu Herbert Howells: A spotless rose Thomas Adès: The Fayrfax carol JUXTA CRUCEM LACRIMOSA Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: Stabat Mater SANCTA MARIA, ORA PRO NOBIS James MacMillan: Seinte Mari Moder Milde Edvard Grieg: Ave Maris Stella Arnold Bax: Mater ora filium Henryk Górecki: Totus tuus Maria E-Product Bonus Track Anon: Birjina gaztettobat zegoen (Basque) From music spanning the 15th century (Josquin, Mouton) to the present (Adès, Taverner), Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort pick a bouquet of choral music composed in homage to the Virgin Mary that enchants and cleanses the ear. Not only will aficionados of early music flip for this CD - the austerity of early music appeals greatly to fans of contemporary music. Early music’s purity marries perfectly to contemporary music’s preference to downplay overt emotionalism. All a cappella, A Spotless Rose, recorded in the acoustically perfect and sacred setting of Lady Chapel of England’s Ely Cathedral, vibrates listeners up into the loftiest realms of the soul. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 477 7465 Barcode: 00028947774655 Label: DG CD Release Date: January			Mischa Maisky \| STRAUSS, DVORÁK: Morgen ARTISTS Mischa Maisky, cello Pavel Gililov, piano TRACK LISTING STRAUSS: Sonata for Cello and Piano in F major, Op. 6 STRAUSS: Romance in F major, AV 75 DVORÁK: Sonatina in G major, Op. 100 DVORÁK: Romantic Piece Op. 75 No. 4 DVORÁK: Rondo for Cello and Piano in G minor, Op. 94 STRAUSS: Morgen Op. 27 No. 4 BONUS TRACK (download only) DVORÁK: Silent Woods Op. 68 No. 5 Partnered by the distinguished pianism of Pavel Gililov, Maisky’s intimacy with Strauss’s and Dvorák’s pieces for cello and piano is the fruit of years of playing and loving these sublime compositions. Maisky’s masterly bowing caresses soulful tone out of his 18th century Montagnana cello. Even in thrall to violent emotion, master cellist Maisky oversees his music making from an altitude of heavenly serenity. Classic FM’s description of Maisky as “one of the world’s leading cellists” qualifies as understatement of the year! This repertoire is entirely new to the DG catalogue and represents different facets of Mischa’s extraordinary career. These works have accompanied him all over the world and feature regularly in his concert programmes. On 10 January 2008 Mischa Maisky celebrated his 60th birthday, the start of a year that also marks the 25th anniversary of his partnership with Deutsche Grammophon. Deutsche Grammophon is commemorating this double anniversary with a pair of new albums; not only Élégie (released in January 2008) but also a new recording featuring the of romantic pieces by Dvorák and Richard Strauss. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 477 8017 Barcode: 0028947780175 Label: DG 2CD Release Date: Avail now			Fritz Wunderlich; Joan Sutherland \| HANDEL: Alcina ARTISTS **Alcina: Joan Sutherland Ruggiero: Fritz Wunderlich Bradamante: Norma Procter Morgana: Jeannette Van Dijck Oronte: Nicola Monti Melisso: Thomas Hemsley Kölner Rundfunkchor Cappella Coloniensis Ferdinand Leitner TRACK LISTING HANDEL*: Alcina* “A distinguished performance with distinguished interpreters, truly worthy of Handel” – Kölner Rheinzeitung (1959) The final sensation of Catalogue Year 2008: In 1959, West German Radio in Cologne (WDR) recorded a live performance of Alcina with two of the most exciting young singers of the day, both called in as replacements at the last minute. This was the only time that Joan Sutherland and Fritz Wunderlich sang together. The resulting recording – exceptional in its vocal virtuosity and style of performance – is now being released officially for the first time: an exceptional première for Handel Year 2009. This is an “authentic” performance, with the Cappella Coloniensis (founded by August Wenzinger) conducted by the 45-year-old Ferdinand Leitner playing original instruments. Other members of the distinguished cast include Norma Procter (Bradamante) and Thomas Hemsley (Melisso) , with Dutch diva Jeannette van Dijck in the role of Morgana and Italian tenor Nicola Monti as Oronte Alcina, one of Handel’s greatest “magic” operas based on Ariosto, is performed here in a reduced version that conveniently fits onto two CDs. Thanks especially to the artistry of Sutherland and Wunderlich, the full power of the opera comes through. CD booklet includes specially-commissioned article by Thomas Voigt that tells the story of the performance, synopsis, libretto in Italian, English and German, and rare photos from WDR archives and the Wunderlich Family Archive. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 477 7460 Barcode: 00028947774600 Label: DG CD Release Date: January			ELINA GARANCA\| Bel Canto ARTISTS Elina Garanca, mezzo-soprano Filarmonica del Teatro Comunale di Bologna Orchestra Europea Roberto Abbado TRACK LISTING DONIZETTI 1. Lucrezia Borgia: Act II, Ballata: "Il segreto per esser felici" (Orsini, coro) 2. L'assedio di Calais: Act II, Duetto e Finale: "Io l'udia chiamarmi a nome" (Aurelio, Eleonora, D'Aire) with Ekaterina Siurina, Eleonora ·Matthew Polenzani, D'Aire 3. Roberto Devereux: Act I, Romanza: "All'afflitto è dolce il pianto" (Sara) BELLINI 4. Adelson e Salvini: Act I, Romanza: "Dopo l'oscuro nembo" (Nelly) DONIZETTI 5. Dom Sébastien, roi du Portugal: Act II, Romance: "Que faire?" – "Sol adoré de la patrie" (Zayda) 6. Maria Stuarda: Act I, Introduzione: "Sì, vuol di Francia il rege" (Elisabetta, Talbot, dame, cortigiani, Cecil) with Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, Talbot · Adrian Sâmpetrean, Cecil ROSSINI 7. Tancredi: Act I, Recitativo e Cavatina: "O patria!" – "Di tanti palpiti" (Tancredi) 8. Maometto II: Act II, Terzetto: "In questi estremi istanti" (Calbo, Anna, Erisso) with Ekaterina Siurina, Anna · Matthew Polenzani, Erisso BELLINI 9. I Capuleti e i Montecchi: Act I, Scena e Cavatina: "Lieto del dolce incarco" – "La tremenda ultrice spada" (Romeo, Capellio, Tebaldo, coro di Capuleti) with Ildebrando D'Arcangel, Capellio · Matthew Polenzani, Tebaldo DONIZETTI 10. L'assedio di Calais: Act I, Aria: "Al mio core" (Aurelio) DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE TRACK (download only) BELLINI 11. I Capuleti e i Montecchi: Act II, Duet: "Ella è morta, o sciagurato" (Romeo, Tebaldo) with Matthew Polenzani, Tebaldo Elina Garanca follows her exceptional DG debut splash, Aria Cantilena, with bel canto solos and ensembles featuring guest luminaries like Ildebrando d’Arcangelo. Flawless coloratura and a “one-in-a-million” mezzo (The Independent) make this exciting young artist ideal for this repertoire. Balancing familiar numbers and ensembles with little known treasures by Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini, Elina rides bel canto’s vocal acrobatics and spun out melodies through an emotional spectrum to unforgettable effect. RETURN TO THE TOP