#ClassicsaDay #AltBaroque Week 4

The Classics a Day team offers a unique challenge for September. Participants are to share music from the Baroque Era on their social media posts. What makes this a challenge is to avoid the big names. So no Bach, Handel, or Vivaldi. (And no Pachelbel's Canon). 

 The Baroque Era ushered a sea change in musical styles from the Renaissance. Church modes gave way to major and minor keys (still in use today). Linear polyphony was replaced by a melody with chordal harmony. Viols were traded in for violins. New forms of music were developed: operas, oratorios, cantatas, and sonatas. 

 Many composers contributed to that development -- many more than the Big Three. Here are my posts for this #AltClassical challenge. For the fourth and final week, I picked some unusual composers.

09/23/24 Maria Teresa Agnesi Pinottini (1720-1795): Concerto per il cembalo

Little is known of Agnesi's life. While her music is well documented in historical records, much is now lost. Only fragments of her 6 operas and 5 concertos survive.

 

09/24/24 Ivan Lukačić (1587=1648): Quam pulchra es

Croatian composer and monk Ivan Lukacic studied in Rome before returning to Croatia. He was music master at the cathedral in Split and published several collections of motets in the 1620s.

 

09/25/24 Caterina Assandra (ca.1590 - after 1618) O Dulcis Amor Jesu (Op. 2, No. 11)

Assanda was a Benedictine nun. She was also an organist and published two collections of music in the early 1600s. Her Opus 1 is lost, but Opus 2 survives.

 

09/26/24 John Baston (fl. 1708–1739): Recorder Concerto No. 2

Baston was an English recorder virtuoso. His concertos, performed during play intermissions, were so popular he published them in 1729.

 

09/27/24 Julie Pinel (fl. 1710–1737): Printems

Pinel was a French harpsichordist. Few details of her life are known, save for her collection of songs, published in 1737, Nouveau receuil d'airs sérioux et à boire.

 

Next month:

Bruckner From the Archives, Vol. 4 Offers Stylistic Contrasts

The fourth volume of this extraordinary series presents Burckner's Fifth Symphony. It also includes two works for string quintet. Every recording receives its first release here. 

As with the previous volumes, the source recordings come from John F. Berky. Berky is the Executive Secretary for the Anton Bruckner Society of America. Over 12,000 Bruckner recordings are in their archives. The selections here aren't just rare recordings.  They're recordings that provide insight in the Bruckner and his interpreters. 

Christoph von Dohnanyi conducts the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra in a 1963 aircheck. Dohnanyi was only 34 years old, and already creating a sensation. He also was of the generation immediately after the Romantics. 

His approach to Bruckner is straightforward and business-like. His goal was to be a transparent conduit between the composer and the audience. It's an exciting performance. And it's one I think most current listeners would be comfortable with.  

The string quintet performances, on the other hand, are purely Romantic. The Vienna Konzerthouse Quartett (and violist Ferdinand Stangler), were members of the Vienna Philharmonic. These artists were the last generation to play under the Romantic Era conductors. 

This is old-school string technique -- overripe portmantos, full-bodied dynamics, and emotive phrasing.  All harkening back to the glories of Old Vienna. This was the performance style Bruckner most likely imagined for these works. And they are gorgeous.

Lani Spahr's superb restorations do much service to the music. He brings out the inherent qualities of these recordings. And he does so without unnaturally "enhancing the sound."

Another fine addition to this series.  

Anton Bruckner: From the Archives, Volume 4
Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra; Christoph von Dohnanyi, conductor
String Quintet in F major; Intermezzo for String Quintet
Vienna Konzerthaous Quartet with Ferdinand Stangler, second viola
SOMM Recordings, Ariadne 5031-2
2 CD Set

#ClassicsaDay #AltBaroque Week 3

The Classics a Day team offers a unique challenge for September. Participants are to share music from the Baroque Era on their social media posts. What makes this a challenge is to avoid the big names. So no Bach, Handel, or Vivaldi. (And no Pachelbel's Canon). 

 The Baroque Era ushered a sea change in musical styles from the Renaissance. Church modes gave way to major and minor keys (still in use today). Linear polyphony was replaced by a melody with chordal harmony. Viols were traded in for violins. New forms of music were developed: operas, oratorios, cantatas, and sonatas. 

 Many composers contributed to that development -- many more than the Big Three. Here are my posts for this #AltClassical challenge. For the third week, I focused on composers of the Middle Baroque, running from about 1680 to 1705.

 

09/16/24 Giovanni Zamboni (later 17th century–after 1718): Sonata VII

Zamboni was a virtuoso of several instruments, including the guitar, lute, mandolin, and theorbo. He's credited with being one of the last composers to write for the lute in 1718.

 

09/17/24 Mrs. Philarmonica (fl. 1715): Sonata for 2 violins

"Mrs. Philharmonica" was an alias of an unknown 18th-century Englishwoman. She published a set of six divertimenti, or sonatas, for two violins and continuo.

 

09/18/25 Maria Margherita Grimani (b. before 1700; fl. 1713–1718): Sinfonia to "Pallade e Marte"

Grimani was the first female composer to have an opera performed in Vienna. She was also known for her oratorios.

 

09/19/24 Henry Madin (1698–1748): Te Deum

Madin entered King Louis VXV's service in 1736. At Versailles he became "Sous-maître de la Musique de la Chapelle du Roi."

 

09/20/24 Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel (1690–1749): Concerto grosso a quattro Chori

Stölzel served the Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. He wrote a vast amount of music, including an estimated 1,300 cantatas. Less than half survive intact.

 

Gubaidulina: Triple Concerto and Rejoice! Exceptional.

Some composers build on established traditions. They take standard forms and common musical expressions and create something new. Other composers create their own sonic world, seemingly from scratch. Sofia Gubaidulina is one of those. 

Her 2017 Triple Concerto was inspired by Beethoven's. But she takes that inspiration in unexpected and innovative directions. Beethoven's concerto was for violin, cello, and piano. Gubaidulina substitutes the bayan for the piano. 

The bayan is a button accordion. It's a characteristic instrument of Russian folk music. There's nothing folk-line in Gubaidulina's treatment, though. All three solo instruments use extended techniques to create otherwordly sounds. The soloists glide around each other and the orchestra. In the process their sound blends and fragments like a kaleidoscope's image. 

Gubaidulina has her own musical language, but it's one with a rigorous internal logic. Every time I listened to the concerto, that logic became a little clearer. It's an amazing aural journey. 

The NDR Radiophilharmonie plays with disciplined energy under the direction of Andrew Manze. This is a live recording. At the conclusion, the applause begins tentatively, as if not wishing to break the spell. (It soon picks up.)

Also included is Rejoice! Sonata for Violin and Cello. To me, this 1981 work is a sonic ice sculpture. It's transparent, yet substantial. Exceedingly delicate, yet emotionally powerful. And it's a work to test the talents of its players. 

Biaba Skride, violin, and Harriet Krijgh, cello rise to the challenge. Harmonics sound with crystal clarity. Glissandi, string plucks, and bent notes sound clean and unforced. It's a work that is both intellectual and emotional.  

Gubaidulina writes like no one else. If you're familiar with her style, know that these are some of her best compositions. If not, be ready for some real adventures in listening.

Sofia Gubaidulina
Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Bayan
Rejoice! Sonata for Violin and Cello
Biaba Skride, violin; Harriet Krijgh, cello; Elsbeth Moser, bayan
NDR Radiophilharmonie; Andrew Manze, conductor
Orfeo

Collegium Vocale Gent Perform Near-Perfect Gesualdo

Carlo Gesualdo was a tortured soul. Its physical manifestations included spousal abuse and even a double murder. And it's there in the music he wrote. 

Gesualdo was composing right at the end of the Renaissance. Within a decade there would be a stylistic sea change. 

The Baroque Era replaced church modes with major and minor keys. It simplified harmony and minimized polyphony. And many of the older forms, like madrigals, didn't survive.

In many ways, Gesualdo's music looks past the Baroque to the Romantic era -- and further. His extreme chromaticism sounds as fresh today as it did for 16th-century audiences. 

This collection features his fourth book of madrigals. This Opus 5 set is for five voices and was published in 1596. At this time Gesualdo had a choir of professional singers on staff. So these works were not written for amateurs. 

 Philippe Herreweghe conducts the Collegium Vocale Gent in some sensitive and expressive performances. The singers have full, rich chordal sound. And when they split off into individual lines, they maintain a crystalline clarity. Most remarkable, though, is the accuracy. 

Geusaldo uses chromatic motion to lean into emotional climaxes. These are hard to sing, but the Collegium Vocale Gent delivers. This is highly expressive music, and at times, a  little unsettling. 

If you're familiar with Gesualdo, you should find this release outstanding. If you're not, this is a great recording to start with.  

Carlo Gesualdo: Silenzio mia
Il quatro libro di madrigali, 1596
Collegium Vocale Gent; Philippe Herreweghe, director
PHI LPH043

#ClassicsaDay #AltBaroque Week 2

 The Classics a Day team offers a unique challenge for September. Participants are to share music from the Baroque Era on their social media posts. What makes this a challenge is to avoid the big names. So no Bach, Handel, or Vivaldi. (And no Pachelbel's Canon). 

The Baroque Era ushered a sea change in musical styles from the Renaissance. Church modes gave way to major and minor keys (still in use today). Linear polyphony was replaced by a melody with chordal harmony. Viols were traded in for violins. New forms of music were developed: operas, oratorios, cantatas, and sonatas. 

 Many composers contributed to that development -- many more than the Big Three. Here are my posts for this #AltClassical challenge. For the second week, I focused on composers of the Middle Baroque, running from about 1650 to 1700.

09/09/24 Mlle Bocquet (early 17th century–after 1660): Allemande in D minor

We're not sure of her first name. But this 1660s lutenist wrote ground-breaking music for her instrument. And was a celebrity in Paris.

 

09/10/24 Simon Ives (1600–1662): The Triumph of Peace

Ives was an organist and composer serving in the court of Charles I. He wrote several part-songs (or glees) that were printed in various collections of the day.

 

09/11/24 Elisabeth Sophie, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1613–1676): Dieses ist das Furstenhaous

Elisabeth Sophie was a talented musician who ensured her husband's court attracted talented musicians, like Heinrich Schutz. The 30 Years War forced her to relocate and rebuild her orchestra.

 

09/12/24 Giovanni Antonio Rigatti (c. 1613–1648): Dixit Dominus a 8

Rigatti was a choirmaster at Udine Cathedral. He published 11 volumes of vocal music, mostly sacred.

 

09/13/24 John IV of Portugal (1603–1656): Crux Fidelis

John IV was a great patron of the arts, and a composer himself. None of his music seems to have survived. Crux Fidelis is credited to him, but most scholars now agree it's a 19th-century forgery.

 

Daugherty: Harp of Ages - One of his best

Executive brief: another great Michael Daugherty composition for hard-core fans and non-classical listeners alike. Need a bit more info? Keep reading.

"Harp of Ages" is a concerto written for Courtney Hershey Bress. Bress is the principal harpist for the Colorado Symphony. This recording features the soloist and the orchestra that commissioned the work. And it's Daugherty gold. 

Daugherty has a gift for blending multiple genres into a cohesive and engaging whole. His works are often good-humored. And he includes plenty of pop culture references to reward the alert listener. 

In this case, Daugherty presents the harp through the ages. Each of the seven movements shows the harp in a different role. The opening movement harkens back to ancient Greece, and the instrument's mythic origins. 

The second pays tribute to Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a Mexican nun and composer of the late 1600s. Other movements reference King David of the Bible, Harpo Marx, and two pioneering jazz harpists, Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. 

My favorite movement is "Uhurua's Harp." Trekkies know that in "Charlie X," (Season 1, Episode 2) Urura sings an improvised song accompanied by Spock on the Vulcan harp. Daugherty's movement turns it into a joyful dance.  And he French Horn occasionally plays Alexander Courage's signature "Star Trek" motif. 

The finale, "Irish Wedding" is a real barnburner. Daugherty serves up Turlogh O'Carolan. Then mixes it with Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" and a dash of Mendelssohn's "Wedding March." It's a rollicking celebration and a real showpiece for the harp. 

Bress is a first-rate harpist, and really delivers here. Daugherty's music has real substance to it, but one has to strike the right emotional balance. Sometimes it's serious and heart-felt. Sometimes it's funny, satirical, or even ironic. When it's done well, Daugherty's music is magical. 

And it's done well here. Andrew Litton ably leads the Colorado Symphony in an inspired performance. Daugherty's music is indeed for everyone, regardless of their depth of classical knowledge. It's just that good. And "Harp of Ages" is one of his best.

Michael Daugherty: Harp of Ages
Courtney Hershey Bress, harp
Colorado Symphony; Andrew Litton, conductor
Naxos 9.70365

De Hartmann Rediscovered Revives Two Masterworks

I admit I was a little judgemental when I received this album for review. The title "Thomas de Hartmann, Rediscovered" put me off. Rediscovered? Where had these guys been? I'd already reviewed two de Hartmann releases from Toccata Classics. 

I should have remembered the adage about books and their covers.

The Thomas de Hartmann Project coordinated this release.  It was the same organization behind the Toccata Classics releases. And were responsible for three albums from the Nimbus Alliance (which I wasn't aware of). So if the album title attracts more listeners to de Hartmann's music, then all the better. 

Thomas de Hartmann was a Ukranian composer who enjoyed an international career. He studied with Anton Arensky, Sergei Taneyev, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Russian Romanticism provided a foundation for his music in the beginning. 

But de Hartmann soon grew beyond it, though. He incorporated Ukrainian folk traditions, mixed with Impressionism, Modernism, and jazz. 

The Cello Concerto was composed in 1935. De Hartmann cites Klezmer music as one of his inspirations. There are no direct quotes. But his melodic contours and harmonic movement pay homage to the style. Matt Haimovitz performs this work with loving care.

De Hartmann said later he wrote the concerto for his Jewish friends suffering Nazi persecution. That was quite an unusual -- and dangerous -- stance to take in 1935 Germany.  Haimovitz's playing evokes a feeling of longing and quiet, desperate hope.

The Violin concerto was composed in 1943. The oppression de Hartmann witnessed in 1935 was now experienced first-hand. He dedicated the work surreptitiously to Jewish violinist Albert Bloch. Bloch was in hiding at the time, evading capture in Vichy France.

De Hartmann described it as "the Klezmer concerto." And so it is -- if you listen carefully. Superficially it appears to be a modern, modelly-constructed work. The melodies have a folk-like quality to them. If you know the context, the references become clear.

Joshua Bell delivers a thrilling performance. His technique leans into the concerto's Klezmer origins. The music no longer has to hide its roots. Bell plays with energy and enthusiasm. 

These are major works created during a time of war and repression. And the violin concerto was recorded in a similar circumstance. The INSO-Lviv Symphony Orchestra had to journey to Warsaw for the sessions. Lviv was under siege by Russian invaders. 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has had one unintended consequence. It's prompted an international interest in Ukrainian music. Which has given the Thomas de Hartmann Project major support. Support to produce albums like this. 

These two works by Thomas de Hartmann await your discovery. And they are masterworks, indeed.  

Thomas de Hartmann Rediscovered
Joshua Bell, violin; Lviv National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra; Dalia Stasevska, conductor
Matt Haimovitz, cello; MDR-Rundfunkorchester; Dennis Russell Davies, conductor
Pentatone PTC5187076

#ClassicsaDay #AltBaroque

The Classics a Day team offers a unique challenge for September. Participants are to share music from the Baroque Era on their social media posts. What makes this a challenge is to avoid the big names. So no Bach, Handel, or Vivaldi. (And no Pachelbel's Canon). 

The Baroque Era ushered a sea change in musical styles from the Renaissance. Church modes gave way to major and minor keys (still in use today). Linear polyphony was replaced by a melody with chordal harmony. Viols were traded in for violins. New forms of music were developed: operas, oratorios, cantatas, and sonatas. 

 Many composers contributed to that development -- many more than the Big Three. Here are my posts for this #AltClassical challenge. For the first week, I focused on composers of the Early Baroque, running from about 1590 to 1650.

09/02/24 Pavel Spongopaeus Jistebnický (1550–1619): Králi nad králi, Pane

Jistebnický was one of the most prolific composers of the early Baroque. Over 60 works by this Czech composer have survived, but only one is complete enough to perform. 

 

09/03/24 Jean de Bournonville (1585–1632): Laudate pueri Dominum

De Bournonville was an organist and composer active in early 1600s France. He was director of music at the Sainte-Chapelle du Palais. He wrote sacred choral works, including at least 19 masses. 

 

09/04/24 Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672): Musikalische Exequien, Op. 7

In 1612 Schütz went to Venice and studied with Giovanni Gabrieli. He returned to Germany, bringing Italian Baroque ideas with him. Schütz was the most important composer of Protestant sacred music before J.S. Bach. 

 

09/05/24 Peeter Cornet (c. 1570/1580–1633): Tantum Ergo

Very few of Cornet's music survives. However, in the early Baroque era, this Flemish organist was regarded as one of the best keyboard composers of his day.

 

09/06/24 Nicolò Corradini (c. 1585–1646): Spargite flores

Corradini was kappellmeister for the Cremona Cathedral. He served as organist to Tarquinio Merula, one of the original proponents of the Venetian school that launched the Baroque style.

 

 

Claudio Santoro Symphonies Revel in Brazilian Sound

This is the fourth volume in Naxo's traversal of Claudio Santoro's symphonies. And I'd say it's about the halfway point. This Brazilian composer wrote 14 symphonies. With this volume, seven are now available.

The Goias Philharmonic is ably directed by Niel Thomson. Santoro wrote challenging music. And he saturated these compositions with the musical language of Brazil. 

So it's not enough to play the notes. Musicians have to feel the music to bring out the subtext. And that's what Thomas and the Goias Philharmonic deliver. 

The works on this album document Santoro's turn from serialism to nationalism. The 1951 "Canto de Amor e Paz" marked the change. There are some Brazilian elements present. But the work has a more cosmopolitan character.

That changes with the 1953 Symphony No. 4, "Sinfonia da Paz." The music is energetic, celebratory, and enthusiastically Brazilian. That's also the case with the concise Symphony No. 6 from 1957. Although here the Brazilian elements are reigned in slightly. 

Also included is the Choro Concertante for Tenor Saxophone (1951) and the Fantasia for Violin (1959). Both show Santoro's skill in solo instrument writing. He provides idiomatic and engaging music for each instrument. And both embued with Santoro's nationalist style.   

I recommend this release to anyone not familiar with Santoro. These works illustrate the essence of his style. That style evolved. But his Brazilian heritage can be most clearly heard in these works. Looking forward to volume five! 

Claudio Santoro: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 6
Choro Concertante for Saxophone; Fantasia for Violin
Pedro Bittencourt, tenor saxophone; Emmanuele Baldini, violin
Goiânia Symphony Choir
Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra, Neil Thomson, conductor
Naxos 8.57472

Cappella Romana: A Ukrainian Wedding

One of the root issues between Russia and Ukraine is cultural identity. From the time of Catherine the Great, Russia has sought to absorb Ukraine. 

But Ukraine has its own language, its own artistic and folk traditions, and even its own brand of Eastern Orthodoxy. All of which Czarist Russia and later Soviet Russia actively suppressed. 

And yet it all survived. This release features traditional wedding music from across Ukraine. The country has distinctive wedding traditions. And these traditions vary from region to region. 

Nadia Tarnawsky has assembled wedding music from across the country. It jointly celebrates the diversity of the regions and the unity of Ukraine's culture. 

Ukrainian weddings are a week-long affair. The couple's engagement is officially announced. Items are made for the wedding (gifts, decorations, clothing). Food is prepared. And each activity has its own traditional song, usually sung by the women doing the work. 

Folklorists Inna Kovtun and Hanna Tishchenko join the Cappella Romana for this recording. The women have a rich full-bodied sound. Most of this music is celebratory, and the choir communicates that effectively. They sing with gusto and sometimes even abandon. 

The music for the ceremony is liturgical, and therefore of a different character. Here the sound is quieter and more reflective. If you're familiar with Eastern Orthodox chant (read: Russian), you might be surprised. Ukrainian sacred music has a very different character and a very different sound.

This album isn't a faithful representation of an average Ukrainian wedding. Rather, it's a composite look at the varied musical traditions of the country. And bringing them all together provides an invaluable musical gift to the world.

A Ukrainian Wedding
Cappella Romana; Nadia Tarnawsky, director
Cappella Records, CR431