New Releases

[Mandryka]

That cello concerto is out of this world.

Agreed, and I think The Compass too

[Brian]

Dohnanyi Vienna complete recordings, 31 CD box set. Art and contents listed here:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/christoph-von-dohnanyi-vienna/hnum/12326352

[Mandryka]

Tom Hicks Chopin Nocturnes.


There's a teaser on spotify and it sounds interesting to me.

Divine Art is thrilled to present pianist Tom Hicks' insightful new recording of these works which synthesizes his research into Chopin's performance and composition practices with modern listeners' expectations via a 'stunning technical agility' (American Record Guide). Dr Kim Sauberlich's excellent liner notes delve deeper into this often-forgotten performance, teaching, and historical recording practice and, together with the 21 pieces on this album, pose fascinating questions about authenticity and interpretation.

Chopin's practice of sending manuscripts to publishers in multiple countries, while continuing to edit, led to multiple, authentic first editions which are not often heard in performance today, and even less in recordings. In this recording, Tom has tastefully incorporated some of these variants, alongside historically informed choices about tempo rubato and pedaling, to create a version of the Nocturnes that feels fresh, individual, and truly authentic. He has even included minor and occasional improvisations, paying homage to the composer's multifaceted creative process, in which improvisation was central.

Tom Hicks has said "All of this led me to see Chopin as a highly creative and spontaneous musician for whom the score is one representation of the work and for whom the score is only the starting point of an interpretation, not the end."

[Florestan]

Tom Hicks Chopin Nocturnes.


There's a teaser on spotify and it sounds interesting to me.

Divine Art is thrilled to present pianist Tom Hicks' insightful new recording of these works which synthesizes his research into Chopin's performance and composition practices with modern listeners' expectations via a 'stunning technical agility' (American Record Guide). Dr Kim Sauberlich's excellent liner notes delve deeper into this often-forgotten performance, teaching, and historical recording practice and, together with the 21 pieces on this album, pose fascinating questions about authenticity and interpretation.

Chopin's practice of sending manuscripts to publishers in multiple countries, while continuing to edit, led to multiple, authentic first editions which are not often heard in performance today, and even less in recordings. In this recording, Tom has tastefully incorporated some of these variants, alongside historically informed choices about tempo rubato and pedaling, to create a version of the Nocturnes that feels fresh, individual, and truly authentic. He has even included minor and occasional improvisations, paying homage to the composer's multifaceted creative process, in which improvisation was central.

Tom Hicks has said "All of this led me to see Chopin as a highly creative and spontaneous musician for whom the score is one representation of the work and for whom the score is only the starting point of an interpretation, not the end."

Very interesting, thanks for posting. Wishlisted.

Re the highlighted text: that was the creed of most Romantic-era pianists and their pupils.

[Roy Bland]

please donate
https://www.produzionidalbasso.com/project/musica-ducale-il-trionfo-dell-oratorio-nella-modena-di-francesco-ii-deste-1674-1694/

[Brian]

Ondine will be releasing Segerstam/Helsinki: the complete Sibelius recordings. It's 15 CDs. Since Ondine is now owned by Naxos, I believe it will combine the two labels' holdings.

[JBS]

Ondine will be releasing Segerstam/Helsinki: the complete Sibelius recordings. It's 15 CDs. Since Ondine is now owned by Naxos, I believe it will combine the two labels' holdings.

Amazon has the cover but not much else.


Presto has no cover or tracklisting, but it does have a list of performers which shows the set is not confined to the Helsinki PO, but includes the Tampere and Turku Philharmonics. And the Turku Philharmonic is the orchestra on almost of Segerstam's Naxos recordings. (He also did three with the Royal Swedish Opera, none of them Sibelius related.)

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9799294--leif-segerstam-helsinki-philharmonic-orchestra-sibelius-recordings

[vandermolen]

Amazon has the cover but not much else.


Presto has no cover or tracklisting, but it does have a list of performers which shows the set is not confined to the Helsinki PO, but includes the Tampere and Turku Philharmonics. And the Turku Philharmonic is the orchestra on almost of Segerstam's Naxos recordings. (He also did three with the Royal Swedish Opera, none of them Sibelius related.)

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9799294--leif-segerstam-helsinki-philharmonic-orchestra-sibelius-recordings

I think highly of his Sibelius recording including both the Chandos and Finlandia Tapiolas.

[pjme]

please donate
https://www.produzionidalbasso.com/project/musica-ducale-il-trionfo-dell-oratorio-nella-modena-di-francesco-ii-deste-1674-1694/

A translation might help!

Support the publication of the volume "The Oratorio in the Modena of Francesco II d'Este (1674-1694), the result of in-depth work combining musicological research and cultural promotion.

By achieving this goal, we will also be able to complete the CD release of "Il Giosuè," by Giovanni Bononcini (Modena, 1688).

The Project: One Volume, One CD

In the heart of the second half of the 17th century, Francesco II d'Este, Duke of Modena, transformed his court into one of the most vibrant musical centers in Europe. His passion for music, especially the oratorio genre, attracted musicians, composers, and singers from all over Italy to Modena.

The book, written by Matteo Giannelli, is based on the study of unpublished archival documents, manuscript scores, and 95 librettos of oratorios performed during the twenty years of his reign. It offers a fascinating overview of:

The venues of the performances (such as the oratorio of San Carlo Rotondo);
The protagonists (composers, instrumentalists, singers);
The hidden symbolism in the librettos regarding international politics (particularly the Glorious English Revolution and Maria Beatrice d'Este, Queen of England and sister of the Duke);

The performance methods;
The connections with "cultural" politics.
Through these pages, you will rediscover the evocative power of sacred musical theater, as an aesthetic and spiritual paradigm that spread throughout Europe (see the introduction by Matteo Giannelli).

Giosuè was first performed in Modena for Francesco II d'Este in 1688 and is the first example of a sacred oratorio by the young Giovanni Bononcini.
Performed for the first time in Modena in the modern era in 2020, with a critical edition by Matteo Giannelli, it was subsequently recorded under the direction of Michele Vannelli, director of the Cappella Musicale di San Petronio.

Characters and performers:

TESTO - Sonia Tedla Chebreab (soprano);
GIOSUÈ - Enrico Torre (countertenor);
KING OF JERUSALEM - Gabriele Lombardi (bass);
KING OF HEBRON - Alberto Allegrezza (tenor);
QUEEN OF HEBRON - Valentina Coladonato (soprano).

[pjme]

https://musicwebinternational.com/2023/06/hommage-a-blanche-selva-ciar-classics/

[Brian]

Amazon has the cover but not much else.


Presto has no cover or tracklisting, but it does have a list of performers which shows the set is not confined to the Helsinki PO, but includes the Tampere and Turku Philharmonics. And the Turku Philharmonic is the orchestra on almost of Segerstam's Naxos recordings. (He also did three with the Royal Swedish Opera, none of them Sibelius related.)

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9799294--leif-segerstam-helsinki-philharmonic-orchestra-sibelius-recordings

I guessed wrong about the Naxos material being included. Instead, other composers are included!

[JBS]

I guessed wrong about the Naxos material being included. Instead, other composers are included!

That's not good. Because it means I only have 1/3rd of the box instead of half of it.

Which means the box is worth getting for me...

[Kalevala]

@Mandryka "Chopin's practice of sending manuscripts to publishers in multiple countries, while continuing to edit, led to multiple, authentic first editions which are not often heard in performance today, and even less in recordings. In this recording, Tom has tastefully incorporated some of these variants, alongside historically informed choices about tempo rubato and pedaling, to create a version of the Nocturnes that feels fresh, individual, and truly authentic. He has even included minor and occasional improvisations, paying homage to the composer's multifaceted creative process, in which improvisation was central."

Thanks so much for this information!  How do artists pick which one(s) to perform I wonder?  The last version which he wrote--if one can figure that out?

K

[Madiel]

@Mandryka "Chopin's practice of sending manuscripts to publishers in multiple countries, while continuing to edit, led to multiple, authentic first editions which are not often heard in performance today, and even less in recordings. In this recording, Tom has tastefully incorporated some of these variants, alongside historically informed choices about tempo rubato and pedaling, to create a version of the Nocturnes that feels fresh, individual, and truly authentic. He has even included minor and occasional improvisations, paying homage to the composer's multifaceted creative process, in which improvisation was central."

Thanks so much for this information!  How do artists pick which one(s) to perform I wonder?  The last version which he wrote--if one can figure that out?

K

The Polish edition of Chopin's music gives pointers on this - I have a couple of volumes where certain pieces get printed 2 or even 3 times. However I do think that the blurb might be exaggerating the situation a little, as it's not the majority of pieces where this is a significant issue. Only some.

In particular, the Polish edition often points to how Chopin was actually involved rather more in the French editions than, say, the German editions which took it upon themselves to change the order of mazurkas in a set for the sake of printing convenience. For a long time the German versions tended to be treated as the standard just because German cultural superiority has been a thing in classical music. So in some cases, new "variations" are likely to consist of "let's go back to the text we know Chopin actually supervised in France".

[Mandryka]

@Mandryka "Chopin's practice of sending manuscripts to publishers in multiple countries, while continuing to edit, led to multiple, authentic first editions which are not often heard in performance today, and even less in recordings. In this recording, Tom has tastefully incorporated some of these variants, alongside historically informed choices about tempo rubato and pedaling, to create a version of the Nocturnes that feels fresh, individual, and truly authentic. He has even included minor and occasional improvisations, paying homage to the composer's multifaceted creative process, in which improvisation was central."

Thanks so much for this information!  How do artists pick which one(s) to perform I wonder?  The last version which he wrote--if one can figure that out?

K

Here's the booklet


https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/79/000213097.pdf

[Florestan]

The Polish edition of Chopin's music gives pointers on this - I have a couple of volumes where certain pieces get printed 2 or even 3 times. However I do think that the blurb might be exaggerating the situation a little, as it's not the majority of pieces where this is a significant issue. Only some.

In particular, the Polish edition often points to how Chopin was actually involved rather more in the French editions than, say, the German editions which took it upon themselves to change the order of mazurkas in a set for the sake of printing convenience. For a long time the German versions tended to be treated as the standard just because German cultural superiority has been a thing in classical music. So in some cases, new "variations" are likely to consist of "let's go back to the text we know Chopin actually supervised in France".

IIRC, a very accurate complete Chopin edition was edited and printed in Russia by Balakirev, who held Chopin in the highest esteem as an exponent of the Slavic genius. So, a Muscovite adored Chopin and curated his oeuvre. Life's little ironies, as a common friend would put it.

[Madiel]

Ekier is the edition that I had in mind. So if he's taking options from there, fair enough.

Mind you, the last 2 "Nocturnes" shouldn't be on an album these days if you're trying to be authentic. At the very least you should acknowledge that one of them was never called a nocturne by Chopin, and there's a good chance the other one isn't actually by Chopin.

[Florestan]

there's a good chance the other one isn't actually by Chopin.

Do we know, or can speculate about, who the actual composer might be?

[Mandryka]

More than performers, they become vessels - rendering Stockhausen's cosmic spirituality and intricate structures with clarity, devotion, and otherworldly intensity.

[Florestan]

More than performers, they become vessels - rendering Stockhausen's cosmic spirituality and intricate structures with clarity, devotion, and otherworldly intensity.

The power of marketing is truly amazing.