Salieri ~Two Concertos and a Sinfonia

I Solisti Veneti & Claudio Scimone, Director
Paul Badura-Skoda, pianoforte
Clementine Hoogendoorn, flute
Pietro Borgonovo, oboe

"The third work on this record is something of a mystery. It is a sinfonia of the type used to introduce Italian operas, each of its three movements .... in binary form. The Verona manuscript in which it is to be found attributes it to Francesco Salieri, the pupil of Tartini who provided the earliest musical education of his younger brother Antonio, and none of whose works is known. Its style seems somewhat old-fashioned for the Viennese Salieri of the 1770's, and it does not figure in any catalogue of his works." --Charles Johnston
Recorded June & July, 1985, in the Villa Contarini, Piazzola sul Brenta, Italy.

tracks:

Concerto for Fortepiano and Orchestram, B-flat major

Antonio Salieri
1. Allegro moderato
2. Adagio
3. Tempo di Minuetto

Concerto for Flute, Oboe, and Orchestra, C major

Antonio Salieri
4. Allegro spirituoso
5. Largo
6. Allegretto

Sinfonia "La Tempesta di Mare", B-flat major

Francesco Salieri
7. Allegro
8. Andante
9. Allegro assai

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina ~ Canticum canticorum / Stanze sopra la Vergine (Hilliard Ensemble, 1986)

There's good reason to suppose these erotically spiritual motets, which are far too polyphonic and too artistic for use in the Pope's service, were in fact written to be sung in the devotional gatherings initiated by (Saint) Phlip Neri in Rome in the 1560s and 1570s. The singers would have been Palestrina's male colleagues from the Vatican choirs, probably from the Julian Chapel choir. Palestrina had an entrepreneurial side and issued these and other motets in printed form in 1584, for the use of confraternities of musical taste hither and yon. The texts in Latin, from the Song of Solomon, would have been comprehensible to such gentlemen singers, and would have required an allegorical interpretation.

This is one of the Hilliard Ensemble's finest recordings, singing one on a part with utmost rhythmic independence and fluidity, yet with faultless attacks and cadences, and deliciously precise tuning. Another reviewers faults the performance for the voice quality of countertenor David James; I'm rather sick of complaints about countertenors, but in this case, James does slightly overshadow soprano Lynne Dawson. That's the only weakness of the performance. The solution would have been to replace Dawson with a countertenor of equal sonority to David James, but such singers were scarce in 1986, when this recording was made. In any case, this is one of the best performances of Palestrina available.

cd1 

Canticum Canticorum

01. Osculetur me osculo oris sui (2:50)

02. Trahe me post te curremus (2:31)

03. Nigra sum sed formosa (3:10)

04. Vineam meam non custodivi (2:09)

05. Si ignoras te (2:42)

06. Pulchræ sunt genæ tuæ (2:50)

07. Fasciculus myrrhæ (2:19)

08. Ecce tu pulcher es (2:29)

09. Tota pulchra es amica mea (2:12)

10. Vulnerasti cor meum (2:50)

11. Sicut lilium inter spinas (2:55)

12. Introduxit me rex in cellam (2:20)

13. Læva ejus sub capite meo (2:32)

14. Vox dilecti mei (2:05)

15. Surge propera amica mea (2:16)

16. Surge amica mea (2:33)

17. Dilectus meus mihi (2:30)

18. Surgam et circuibo civitatem (1:57)

cd2

19. Adjuro vos filiæ Jerusalem (3:24)

20. Caput ejus aurum optimum (2:51)

21. Dilectus meus descendit (2:28)

22. Pulchra es amica mea (2:36)

23. Quæ est ista quæ progreditur (2:24)

24. Descendi in hortum meum (2:44)

25. Quam pulchri sunt gressus tui (2:40)

26. Duo ubera tua sicut duo hinnuli (3:04)

27. Quam pulchra es (2:59)

28. Guttur tuum sicut vinum optimum (2:43)

29. Veni dilecte mi (2:59)

Stanze sopra la Vergine (1581) 

1. Vergine bella, che di sol vestita (3:33)

2. Vergine saggia, e del bel numer’ una (3:19)

3. Vergine pura, d’ogni part’ intera (3:31)

4. Vergine santa d’ogni gratia piena (3:54)

6. Vergine chiara et stabile in eterno (3:19)

7. Vergine, quante lagrim’ ho già sparte (3:38)

8. Vergine, tal è terra, et post’ ha in doglia (4:03)

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Osculetur me osculo oris sui 

Vergine bella, che di sol vestita

Johann Strauss ~ Waltzes

flac 706kbps

CD1

1. Donner und Blitz, op. 324 (3:17)

3. Rosen aus dem Süden, op. 388 (9:43)

4. Wein, Weib und Gesang, op. 333 (6:13)

5. Persischer Marsch, op. 289 (2:21)

6. Frühlingsstimmen, op. 410 (7:33)

7. An der blauen Donau, op. 314 (10:00)

8. Wiener Bonbons, op. 307 (9:36)

9. Wiener Blut, op. 354 (7:52)

CD2

1. Kaiserwalzer, op. 437 (11:17)

2. Pizzikato Polka (2:43)

3. Radetzky Marsch, op. 228 (Joh. Strauss, Vater) (2:57)

4. Acceleration, op 234 (9:00)

5. Tritsch-Tratsch Polka, op. 214 (2:40)

6. Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald, op. 325 (12:40)

7. Der Zigeunerbaron, Overtüre (7:57)

8. Eljen A Magyar, ungarische Polka, op. 332 (2:46)

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Immortal Beloved (1994) OST

Immortal Beloved is a film about the turbulent life and times of Beethoven. Throughout the film, highlights from his vast canon are featured, and those pieces of music were collected for the soundtrack recording. In essence, the soundtrack is "The Best of Beethoven" -- it features all of the melodies that have worked their way into popular consciousness. Naturally, this isn't the place to find challenging, inventive interpretations of Beethoven's standards, nor is it even the place to find definitive readings of these works. Instead, it is a sampler, designed to whet the appetite of a neophyte Beethoven fan; in that sense, Immortal Beloved works very well.

tracks

01. I. Allegro con brio (complete) (5:51)
02. Bagatelle for piano in A minor ("Für Elise"), WoO 59 (2:55)
03. I. Allegro con brio [Excerpt] (5:00)
04. I. Adagio sostenuto (complete) (4:31)
05. IV. Allegro. Thunderstorm (complete) (4:08)
06. II. Largo assai ed espressivo [Excerpt] (4:36)
07. I. Allegro ma non troppo [Excerpt] (2:59)
08. II. Adagio cantabile (complete) (5:22)
09. II. Adagio un poco moto (complete) / III. Rondo. Allegro [Excerpt] (11:28)
10. Kyrie [Excerpt] (6:05)
11. II. Allegretto [Excerpt] (3:00)
12. I. Adagio sostenuto - Presto [Excerpt] (3:30)
13. IV. "Ode to Joy" [Excerpt] (12:55)

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ~ A Classical Christmas

This Classical Christmas album features 20 of the best known festival greats, beautifully played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the finest Orchestras in the world! EMI Gold. 2005.


tracks
01. White Christmas [Michael Dore, soloist]
02. Let It Snow [Mary Carewe, soloist]
03. Sleigh Ride
04. Mary's Boy Child [Michael Dore and Mary Carewe]
05. Little Drummer Boy [Mary Carewe, soloist]
06. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas [Michael Dore, soloist]
07. Winter Wonderland [Mary Carewe, soloist]
08. The Christmas Song [Michael Dore, soloist]
09. Lieutenant Kije (Troika)
10. Sussex Carol [Royal Choral Society]
11. Sleigh Ride KV605 (From 3 German Dances)
12. Fantasy, The Holly And The Ivy
13. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen [Royal Choral Society]
14. Unto Us Is Born A Son [Royal Choral Society]
15. Jingle Bells
16. Good King Wenceslas [Royal Choral Society]
17. Once In Royal David's City [Royal Choral Society]
18. Away In A Manger [Royal Choral Society]
19. O Little Town Of Bethlehem [Royal Choral Society]
20. The First Nowell / Christmas Carnival (Medley)

Bach's Adagios

The subtitle of this compilation - "27 Tranquil Tracks from the Master of Baroque"-might suggest you're in for a dose of watered-down, Muzaked treatments, but not to worry: this is actually a very attractive theme album that makes an enticing introduction if you're just setting out to discover the wonder of J.S. Bach. Some of the most familiar music Bach wrote does indeed reside in the slow movements of his concertos, suites, and sonatas. Often, they reveal an Italianate love for spinning gorgeous melodies that sound eternally fresh and haunting in a number of contexts (witness the opening "Air on a G String" and its reworking in Procol Harum's hit, "A Whiter Shade of Pale").
Opera was the only genre of his time in which Bach didn't write, but many of his slower movements display the intense emotional focus of operatic arias, and Bach's range of expression can cover an infinite degree of moods--from "tranquility" to the deeply mournful adagio of Brandenburg Concerto No. 6. From its archives, the Erato label has culled interpretations by some of today's leading Bach interpreters, such as Ton Koopman and his Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Jordi Savall, and Gustav Leonhardt.

The concept of "adagio" has been extended here to include chorales and slower passages from the great choral works, whereas some compilations offer only instrumental arrangements, thus overlooking this aspect so central to Bach's output. From the nearly two hours of music in this collection, you'll gain a pretty good overview of the stunning variety of genres that inspired Bach: the cantata, passion, concerto, solo instrumental suite, and many more (though a selection or two from the solo keyboard works would have been a nice inclusion). And, while Bach's slow movements are always integrated into a larger architecture, the gem-like beauty of these selections will likely inspire you to check out some of the full-scale works from which they've been excerpted.

tracks

cd1

01. Orchestral Ste No.3 in D: Air On The G Str - Jean-Francois Paillard CO/Jean-Francois Paillard

02. Son in E flat: Sicilienne - Jean-Pierre Rampal/Robert Veyron-Lacroix/Jordi Savall

03. Con in d: Largo Ma Non Tanto - Monica Huggett/Alison Bury

04. St. Matthew Passion: 'O Haupt Voll Blut Und Wunden' - Ens Vox De Lausanne

05. Brandenburg Con No.1 in F: Adagio - Monica Huggett/Ku Ebbinge/Michel Henry/Paul Dombrecht/Michel Garcin Marrou/Joe Konings

06. Con in d: Adagio - Cyprien Katsaris

07. Magnificat: Suscepit - Ens Vox De Lausanne

08. Trio Son No.2 in c: Largo - Marie-Claire Alain

09. Vn Son No.4 in c: Adagio - Lars Fryden/Gustav Leonhardt

10. Ste No.1 in G: Prld - Jorg Baumann

11. Son in C: Adagio - Jean-Pierre Rampal/Robert Veyron-Lacroix/Jordi Savall

12. Brandenburg Con No.4 in G: Andante - Ricardo Kanji/Reine-Marie Verhagen/Monica Huggett

13. Vn Con in E: Adagio - Monica Huggett

14. Mass in b: 'Qui Tollis Peccata Mundi' - Ens Vox De Lausanne

cd2

01. Con in f: Largo - Cyprien Katsaris

02. Prld in C - Marielle Nordmann

03. Con in a: Andante - Monica Huggett

04. Brandenburg Con No.6 in B flat: Adagio Ma Non Tanto - Jan Schlapp/Trevor Jones/Christophe Coin/Sarah Cunningham/Jaap Ter Linden

05. St. John Passion: 'Ruht Wohl, Ihr Heiligen Gebeine' - Ens Vox De Lausanne

06. Vn Son No.5 in f: Adagio - Lars Fryden/Gustav Leonhardt

07. Son in G: Adagio - Jean-Pierre Rampal/Alain Marion/Robert Veyron-Lacroix/Jordi Savall

08. Son in G: Adagio E Pno - Jean-Pierre Rampal/Alain Marion/Robert Veyron-Lacroix/Jordi Savall

09. Brandenburg Con No.2 in F: Andante - Ricardo Kanji/Alison Bury/Ku Ebbinge/Crispian Steele Perkins

10. Cant No.208: 'Sheep May Safely Graze' - Elisabeth Von Magnus

11. Son in b: Largo E Dolce - Jean-Pierre Rampal/Robert Veyron-Lacroix/Jordi Savall

12. St. Matthew Passion: 'Erbarme Dich' - Ens Vox De Lausanne

13. Cant No.147: 'Jesu Joy Of Man's Desiring' - Scottish Chm Chor

The Mystery of Santo Domingo de Silos ~ Gregorian Chant

The musical perfection of the recorded legacy of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Solesmes aside (and what a legacy - and how impossible to set it aside!), for me this is the 'ultimate' recording of liturgical chant. So much recommends the recordings of Solesmes - the exquisite singing, especially of that one anonymous tenor voice which alone seems to create the 'sound' of the entire schola!- the aristocratic liturgical taste of Dom Gajard, and now Dom Jean Claire, the genuine poverty of the monastic life at Solesmes (I've stayed there and seen it). While Solesmes pursues the vast body of Gregorian chant, here the monks sing chant from an earlier age, so-called Visigothic (Mozarabic) chant, not much heard before the liturgical relaxations subsequent to the Vatican Council II. These monodic melodies of Spain's Arabic past mark not only a musical beauty, but lets us to hear Roman chant in fresh light. While the Kyriale included in here may more exactly be called neo-Mozarabic, the main selections come from the period prior to Roman codification under Gregory, Spanish in heart, and universal in beauty: the remarkable 'Introibo ad altare Dei mei', various Antiphons and Prayers intrinsic to an older national liturgical ideal usurped by Gregorian legislation, culminating in the otherworldly 'Lamentation of Jeremiah', which once heard will never leave you. Recorded in the great Romanesque Abbey church, with an acoustic richly suited to the sung prayer of glad monks. If you love liturgical chant, get this treasure and enter a rich path of consuming fire.

tracks
01. Misa mozárabe - 1. Praelegendum
02. Misa mozárabe - 2. Tractus 
03. Misa mozárabe - 3. Lauda
04. Misa mozárabe - 4. Missa (Preces: Ecclesiam sanctam catholicam)
05. Misa mozárabe - 5. Nomina Offerentium
06. Misa mozárabe - 6. Pacem meam
07. Misa mozárabe - 7. Illatio
08. Misa mozárabe - 8. Sanctus
09. Misa mozárabe - 9. Post Sanctus
10. Misa mozárabe - 10. Credo
11. Misa mozárabe - 11. Pater Noster
12. Misa mozárabe - 12. Ad confractionem: Gustate
13. Melodìas litúrgicas - 1. Kyrie I (Deus miserator)
14. Melodìas litúrgicas - 2. Kyrie II (Rex magne)
15. Melodìas litúrgicas - 3. Kyrie V (Conditor poli)
16. Melodìas litúrgicas - 5. Gloria I
17. Melodìas litúrgicas - 6. Sacrificum
18. Melodìas litúrgicas - 7. Sanctus I
19. Melodìas litúrgicas - 8. Agnus I
20. Melodìas litúrgicas - 9. Agnus II  
21. Melodìas litúrgicas - 10. Antiphon (Lauda)  
22. Melodìas litúrgicas - 11. Lamentatio Jeremiae Prophetae Lectio III, Feria VI

Laudate Dominum, quoniam bonus est psalmus