The Music Pages | September 2009


	Cat. No.: 478 1525 Barcode: 0028947815259 Label: Decca CD Release Date: September			Riccardo Chailly MENDELSSOHN \| “Mendelssohn Discoveries”: Piano Concerto No.3; Symphony No.3 ARTISTS Roberto Prosseda, piano Gewandhausorchester Riccardo Chailly TRACK LISTING MENDELSSOHN Piano Concerto No.3 Symphony No.3 (London version, 1842) The Hebrides (Rome version, 1830) Mendelssohn was himself a Music Director of the Gewandhausorchester. Here, under his successor Riccardo Chailly, the orchestra celebrates the bicentenary of the composer's birth with world premiere recordings of earlier versions of his music - as well as a major reconstruction of his Piano Concerto No.3. 'Hearing Chailly and the Gewandhaus orchestra bring Mendelssohn so thrillingly alive made it clear this particular tradition is in good hands'. The Telegraph, London 2009 is the Mendelssohn year: 200 years since his birth. Here, Decca celebrates some of his most interesting and beautiful works. Maestro Riccardo Chailly conducts the orchestra of which Mendelssohn himself was a Music Director, in the town of Leipzig where Mendelssohn lived and worked. He is joined by acclaimed pianist Roberto Prosseda. FOUR WORLD PREMIERE RECORDINGS: Mendelssohn left the 3rd movement of his Piano Concerto in E minor unfinished. The Mendelssohn specialist Marcello Bufalini reconstructed and finished this Concerto. The version on this disc, by Bufalini, was first performed by the Berlin Symphony Orchestra in 2007 but, until now, has never been recorded. This version of the Scottish Symphony, Mendelssohn's third, was prepared for its first performance in London in 1842. It features 111 previously unknown bars. Also recorded for the first time is a sketch of the first sixteen bars of the Scottish Symphony, made by Mendelssohn in 1829/30. Mendelssohn's visit to Scotland in the summer of 1829 had been the starting point for his 3rd Symphony, even though it was to be another twelve years before Mendelssohn completed his provisional version. This sketch gives us a snapshot of the composer's first musical reactions and thoughts to the beautiful and rugged landscapes of Scotland, immediately after his travels there. The original version of the Hebrides Overture was first written by Mendelssohn in 1831, to be played by the composer Hector Berlioz who stayed in Rome that year. The 1831 version is the one recorded here: compared to the better-known version of 1833 there are additional bars and instrumentation, which gives a very different sound to the piece. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 477 8094 Barcode: 0028947780946 Label: DG CD Release Date: September			Daniel Hope \| Air: A Baroque Journey ARTISTS Daniel Hope, violin Lorenza Borrani, second solo violin / Lucy Gould, violin / Stewart Eaton, viola / William Conway, cello / Enno Senft, double bass (Soloists from the Chamber Orchestra of Europe) / Jonathan Cohen, cello / Kristian Bezuidenhout, harpsichord & organ / Stefan Maass, Stephan Rath, lute & guitar & theorbo / Hans-Kristian Kjos Sørensen, percussion TRACK LISTING ANDREA FALCONIERI (1585/6–1656) [1] Ciaccona GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685–1759) [2] Sarabanda HWV 437 arr.: Olivier Fourés DIEGO ORTIZ (c1510–1570) [3] Ricercata segunda ANDREA FALCONIERI (1585/6–1656) [4] La suave Melodia BIAGIO MARINI (1594–1663) [5] Passacalio à 3 & à 4 (from Per ogni sorte d'stromento, op. 22) NICOLA MATTEIS (+ after 1713) [6] Diverse bizzarrie sopra la Vecchia Sarabanda o pur Ciaccona JOHANN PACHELBEL (1653–1706) Canon and Gigue for there Violins and Basso continuo [7] Canon [8] Gigue GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN (1681–1767) Concerto for Violino Concertato, Strings and Basso continuo A minor · a-moll · en la mineur [9] 1. Adagio [10] 2. Allegro [11] 3. Presto JOHANN PAUL VON WESTHOFF (1656–1705) [12] Imitazione delle campane (from Sonate a Violino Solo, Sonata III) NICOLA MATTEIS [13] Ground after the Scotch Humour (from Ayrs for the Violin, Book 4, Suite in F major) FRANCESCO GEMINIANI (1687–1762) Concerto grosso no. 5 G minor · g-moll · en la mineur arr. of Arcangelo Corelli's Sonata for Violin and Basso continuo, op. 5 no. 5 [14] 1. Adagio [15] 2. Vivace [16] 3. Adagio [17] 4. Allegro ANTONIO VALENTE (fl. 1565–1580) [18] Gagliarda Napoletana ANDREA FALCONIERI [19] Passacalle à 3 JEAN-MARIE LECLAIR (1697–1764) [20] Tambourin ANON. [21] Greensleeves to a Ground arr.: Olivier Fourés JOHANN PAUL VON WESTHOFF [22] La guerra così nominato di sua maesta (from Sonata in A major "La Guerra") [23] Imitazione del liuto (from Sonate a Violino solo, Sonata II) JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750) [24] Air (from Overture BWV 1068) Air sets out to trace a baroque journey. It is the story of four unique composers, three of whom were virtuoso violinists - Falconiero, Matteis and Geminiani from Italy, and Westhoff from Germany. They wandered throughout Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries in search of musical inspiration and cross-pollination, and their music and art of performance intrigued and delighted kings, contemporaries and audiences alike. This album shows how diverse the music of the baroque era was. Air blends the simplest and at times most primitive forms of dance music with the most sophisticated and revolutionary compositions of the day, culminating in a work by Bach - the great master, whose title is Hope’s inspiration for this collection, that also includes hits like Pachelbels’s Canon or Handel’s Sarabande. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 477 7455 Barcode: 0028947774556 Label: DG CD Release Date: September			Plácido Domingo, Violeta Urmana, Alberto Veronesi, Wiener Philharmoniker \| Puccini Ritrovato ARTISTS Violeta Urmana, soprano Plácido Domingo, tenor Annamaria Dell'Oste, soprano (Lisette) Alfredo Nigro, tenor (Dick Johnson) Stefano Secco, tenor (Ruggero, 2) Wiener Staatsopernchor Wiener Philharmoniker Alberto Veronesi TRACK LISTING PUCCINI 1. Preludio a orchestra 2. "Ed ora bevo all'amor" from La rondine, 1920, second version 3. "Con onor muore" from Madama Butterfly, 1904, original version 4. "Sia benedetto il giorno" from Edgar, 1889, manuscript version 5. Preludio from Edgar, 1892 version, prelude to Act I 6. "Sola, perduta, abbandonata" from Manon Lescaut, 1893, original version 7. Preludio from Manon Lescaut, 1892, prelude to original Act III/1 8. "Oh, se qualcuno vuol quell' oro" from La fanciulla del West, 1910, first published version 9. Adagetto per orchestra da camera 10. "Amici fiori" from Suor Angelica, 1918, original version 11. "Parigi è la città dei desideri" from La rondine, 1920, second version 12. "Evviva le coppe colmate! – La coppa è simbol della vita" from Edgar, 1889, manuscript version, Act II, scene 3 Puccini’s music has moved generations of music lovers. His arias contain the essence of Italian romantic opera: passion, grit and anguish. These forgotten arias, handpicked by Plácido Domingo, have been unearthed from the archives by Puccini-expert Michael Kaye who has developed the concept for this album in collaboration with Italian maestro Alberto Veronesi. The orchestra for this album will be the illustrious Wiener Philharmoniker under the baton of Veronesi, who, as the artistic director of the annual Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, is the obvious choice for such a project. The presence of such a superlative cast of musicians ensures that this album will be a must-have for all Domingo and Puccini fans; therefore for all lovers of opera. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 474 1952 Barcode: 0028947419525 Label: DG CD Release Date: September			Robert Sadin \| Art of Love: Music of Machaut ARTISTS Robert Sadin, vocals, keyboards Milton Nascimento, vocals Jasmine Thomas, vocals John Ellis, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, ocarina Brad Mehldau, Fender Rhodes Charles Curtis, guitar Cyro Baptista, percussion Lionel Loueke, vocals, guitar, bass Madeleine Peyroux, recitation and many others TRACK LISTING 1. Love Without End 2. Douce Dame 3. Natalie's Song 4. Python 5. Amour me fait désirer 6. Tu, meu sonho vivo 7. Comment 8. Brad's Interlude 9. Dame, si vous m'êtes lointaine 10. Force of Love 11. Doux visage 12. Hélas 13. Evocation On Art of Love, an extraordinary array of contemporary artists like Brad Mehldau, Natalie Merchant, Milton Nascimento, and Madeleine Peyroux reinvent the music of France’s great 14th century composer and poet, Guillaume de Machaut: ancient songs, voices of today! Art of Love was also inspired by The Art of Courtly Love, an album conceived by David Munrow and a bestseller in the 70s and cult album to date. Brilliant conductor and Grammy® winning arranger-producer, Robert Sadin, conceives an album that blurs boundaries as it crosses centuries and cultures, drenching songs more than 600 years old in the sounds of Brazil, Africa, and jazz. “What is amazing to me is how Machaut’s melodies bury themselves in the memory and the psyche. At a distance of seven centuries, his music sounds fresh, expressive, even modern.” (Robert Sadin) RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 478 1530 Barcode: 0028947815303 Label: Decca CD Release Date: September			Janine Jansen \| BEETHOVEN & BRITTEN: Violin Concerti ARTISTS Janine Jansen, violin Kammerphilharmonie Bremen London Symphony Orchestra Paavo Järvi TRACK LISTING BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto BRITTEN: Violin Concerto THE TIMES Dutch violin star Janine Jansen brings together the great concerto by Beethoven and the rarely heard concerto by Benjamin Britten The "iTunes queen" fulfils a long-held ambition to record Benjamin Britten's Violin Concerto alongside the most monumental of all violin works, the Beethoven Violin Concerto. "Two of the greatest concertos ever written" - Janine Jansen Janine records these concerti with two different orchestras to fully explore two very different sound worlds; the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (Beethoven) and the London Symphony Orchestra (Britten) Janine has loved and championed the Britten concerto since she first played it nearly ten years ago, and performed both these concerti with conductor Paarvo Järvi many times, both in Europe and the US. The recording of the Beethoven concerto follows the acclaimed Beethoven Symphony cycle form the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen under Paarvo Järvi. QUOTES "The soloist Janine Jansen produced a sensationally delicate sound on her violin that animated the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen to an exceptionally sensitive accompaniment. (...) Janine Jansen not only appealed in the Larghetto, but performed magic in the breathtaking cadenzas with her flawless sound- even in the highest scales. Plus, there was so much spirit in her playing that without exaggeration one can refer to a Beethoven-magic moment. Applause and acclaim lasted for several minutes from all involved" WESER KURIER "In the first half, Janine Jansen made Beethoven’s Violin Concerto sound new-minted. Her genius was to give the illusion that she was inventing the work there and then, improvising with spontaneity" CLASSICAL SOURCE "Jansen’s account of the Larghetto was particularly attractive, a model of rapt elegance" SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL “Janine Jansen made Beethoven’s Violin Concerto sound newly-minted. Her genius was to give the illusion that she was inventing the work there and then, improvising with spontaneity.” CLASSICAL SOURCE “Jansen played Benjamin Britten's Violin Concerto with bravura abandon, her hair whipping around and the strands flying off her bow. Just hitting the myriad notes of Britten's challenging score in tune and in time wasn't enough for this risk-taking soloist. She maximized the expressivity of every one, making those notes whisper and sing, caress and sear.” STAR-LEDGER NEW JERSEY “The career of Holland’s star young violinist is heading into the stratosphere, and when you hear her it’s obvious why. It isn’t just the brilliant firepower, which she has in spades … it’s also a darkly searching lyrical streak… CLASSIC FM “Was für eine Geigerin! Eine Sternstunde: Beseelt, feurig, virtuos, da blieb kein Wunsch offen.“ ABENDZEITUNG “The young Dutch virtuosa commands a wizardly bow arm with which she pulled colours from her instrument … I haven't heard since the great Nathan Milstein's heyday” CHICAGO TRIBUNE RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 478 1524 Barcode: 0028947815242 Label: Decca CD Release Date: September			Mitsuko Uchida \| MOZART: Piano Concertos No.23, K.488; No.24, K.491 ARTISTS Mitsuko Uchida, piano Cleveland Orchestra TRACK LISTING MOZART: Piano Concerto No.23, K.488 MOZART: Piano Concerto No.24, K.491 Widely regarded as one of the foremost Mozart interpreters of our time: Mitsuko Uchida returns, conducting the orchestra herself from the piano, with live performances of two of Mozart's most popular concertos. "…we still had the thrill of Uchida, embodying Mozart’s recollections of joy and sorrow with dancing subtlety and love" The Times, London "Miss Uchida played gracefully and with the flair listeners have come to expect from her....She endows the solo line with a rightness and an inevitability, yet there is originality in the way she shapes every phrase, and remarkable subtlety in her coloration" New York Times "Uchida’s pellucid, subtly varied tone (no one makes the piano sing more beautifully) and quicksilver response to changes of mood and harmonic colour give unalloyed delight" The Telegraph, London, on Mitsuko Uchida's previous disc of Mozart Piano Concerti RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 478 1526 Barcode: 0028947815266 Label: Decca 35CD Release Date: September			Various Artists \| Ballet Masterpieces (Limited Edition) ARTISTS Various orchestras and conductors including the Royal Opera House Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Richard Bonynge, Charles Dutoit, Antal Dorati, Lorin Maazel and many others. TRACK LISTING Adam: Giselle Adam: Le Corsaire Chopin: Les Sylphides Weber: Invitation to the dance, etc. Britten: Soirées musicales/Matinées musicales Rossini: La boutique fantasque Delibes: Coppélia/Sylvia/La Source Hérold: La Fille mal gardée Lecocq: Mam’zelle angot Khachaturian: Spartacus/Masquerade/Gayaneh Suites Massenet: Manon ballet Offenbach: Gaité Parisienne Gounod: Faust ballet music Prokofiev: Cinderella Glazunov: Seasons Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé/Alborada/La Valse R. Strauss: Cinderella/Beau Danube Stravinsky: L’Oiseau de feu Stravinsky: Petrouchka/Le Sacre du printemps Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty Meyerbeer: Les Patineurs TCHAIKOVSKY: Swan Lake TCHAIKOVSKY: Nutcracker Verdi: Ballet music The world's favourite ballets and ballet suites performed by some of the greatest orchestras and conductors. Note – this is a strictly limited edition. Once sold, no further copies will be available. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 478 1821 Barcode: 0028947818212 Label: Decca 10CD Release Date: September			Alfred Brendel \| BEETHOVEN: The Complete Piano Sonatas ARTISTS Alfred Brendel, piano TRACK LISTING BEETHOVEN CD 1: Piano Sonatas 1, 2 & 3 CD 2: Piano Sonatas 4, 15 & 20 CD 3: Piano Sonatas 5, 6 & 7 CD 4: Piano Sonatas 8, 9, 10 & 11 CD 5: Piano Sonatas 12, 13, 14 & 19 CD 6: Piano Sonatas 16, 17 & 18 CD 7: Piano Sonatas 21, 22 & 28 CD 8: Piano Sonatas 25, 24, 27 & 23 CD 9: Piano Sonatas 29 & 26 CD 10: Piano Sonatas 30, 21 & 32 Alfred Brendel's digital cycle of Beethoven piano sonatas now available at budget price. Recorded in various locations between 1992 and 1996. RETURN TO THE TOP