# What we're listening to--1st QTR 2008



## RebLem (Oct 6, 2007)

In the period from Sunday, 9 DEC 2007 through Saturday, 12 JAN 2008, I didn't listen to very much, only 22 CDs, consisting of 3 different issues, as follows:

1. Bach, J.S: Klavierbuechlein for W. F. Bach (2'02:33)-Joseph Payne, harpsichord, clavichord, organ--2 CD hanssler set, Vol. 137 of CBE, rec. 2 & 3/1999.

2. Beethoven: Piano Sonatas (32-complete)-Craig Sheppard, piano-Romeo Records 9 CD set recorded live in a series of 7 public concerts @ Meany Hall, Seattle, Washington from 7 JAN 2003---18 MAY 2004. www.romeorecords.com www.craigsheppard.net Craig Sheppard is a piano pedagogue on the faculty of the University of Washington/Seattle in addition to being a fine concert pianist. The set consists of 4 two-CD jewel boxes plus one additional single CD jewel box, all contained in a slipcase, with a 23 page booklet of consisting mostly of essays on each of the sonatas by Prof. Sheppard. His teachers and mentors, in both institutional and less formal settings, have included Eleanor Sokoloff, Sasha Gorodnitzki, Claude Frank, Lillian Kallir, Ilona Kabos, Peter Feuchtwanger, Sir Clifford Curzon, and Rudolf Serkin.

I found this to be one of the better sets available. I consider only two sets that I own, the Annie Fischer and the stereo Wilhelm Kempff, to be superior overall to this one. It is, generally, on a par with some of my mid-ranked sets, like the Gulda, up to # 21, the Waldstein, but beginning with the Waldstein on CD 6 (of 9) things very decidedly, IMO, pick up. From that point on, his performances are more poetic, imaginative, and masterful. A highly recommended set, along with the Annie Fischer and the partial set by Bruce Hungerford, especially Hungerford's 2 CD set containing most of the most popular sonatas.

3. Shostakovich: Symphonies (15---complete +)---K Kondrashin, cond. Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, recorded 1965-1975-11 CD Melodiya set.

CD 1-Sym 1 in F Minor, Op 10 (22:01) |Sym 2 in B Major, Op 14 "To October" (verses: A Bezymensky) (16:46) |Sym 3 for orchestra & choir in E Flat Major, Op 20 "The First of May" (Verses: S Kirsanov)(26:20)-Russian State Chapel Choral, Alexander Yurlov, choir master, 2 & 3. Recorded 1973.

CD 2---Sym 4 in C Minor, Op. 43 (59:59) |October, symphonic poem, Op. 131 (12:43). Rec 1966.

CD 3---Sym 5 in D Minor, Op. 47 (41:54) |Sym 6 in B Minor, Op. 54 (26:29)-Rec 1967.

CD 4---Sym 7 in C Major, Op 60 "Leningrad"(71:10)-Rec 1975.

CD 5---Sym 8 in C Minor, Op. 65 (56:29) |The Sun Shines on Our Motherland Cantata, Op 90 (Words: Y Dolmatovsky)(12:13)-Boys Choir of the Moscow Choral College, Russian State Chapel Choral, Alexander Yurlov, choir master (in Cantata)-Rec. 1967.

CD 6---Sym 9 in E Flat Major, Op. 70 (24:14) |Sym 10 in E Minor, Op. 93 (48:48 )-Rec 1965.

CD 7---Sym 11 in G Minor,Op. 103 (1905) (53:53)-Rec. 1973

CD 8---Sym 12 in D Minor, Op. 112 "1917" (In memory of V.I. Lenin) (36:25) Rec. 1974. |The Execution of Stepan Razin, symphonic poem, Op. 119 (Verses: Y. Yevtushenko) (27:38 )-Russian State Chapel Choral, A. Yurlov, cho master. Rec. 1965.

CD 9---Sym 13 for bass soloist, choir of basses, & symphony orch in B Flat Minor, Op. 113 "Babi Yar" (54:07)-Artur Eizen, bass, Bass group of the Russian State Chapel Choral, A. Yurlov, cho. Master. Rec 1967.

CD 10---Sym 14 for soprano, bass, & chamber orch, Op 135 on poems by Federico Garcia Lorca, Guillaume Appolinaire, Wilhem Kuchelbecker, & Reiner Maria Rilke in Russian translation-Yevgenia Tselvalnik, soprano, Yevgeni Nesterenko, bass, Ensemble of soloists of the Moscow Phil Sym Orch. Rec. 1974.

CD 11---Sym 15 in A Major, Op. 141 (40:30) Rec. 1974. |Violin Concerto 2 in C# Minor, Op. 129 (29:35)-David Oistrakh, violin. Rec. 1967.

Overall, I would say the Kondrashin set is the preferred set of the Shostakovich symphonies. For years, I had heard that the performances were great, but that the sound left something to be desired. Such is not the case. The sound is magnificent, perhaps, occasionally, a bit too bright and closely miked. Kondrashin is especially outstanding, in my view, in the Syms 11-15 and in the Execution of Stepan Razin. I would also say that the Barshai set on Brilliant and the Maxim Shostakovich set on Supraphon are indispensable. The others are, except for a few individual performances from other sets, though I will be interested to hear the Gergiev and Bychkov sets when they are complete. Like Maxim Shostakovich, he takes the 7th a little differently from others. Usually, in the first movement, right after the idyllic pastoral introduction, there is a jaunty, but upbeat martial theme depicting the initial phases of the German invasion of Russia. But, at a certain point, when people begin to realize that this is a terribly oppressive force and not the liberation they had hoped, one usually hears a rather sudden cataclysmic dissonance coupled with a great increase in volume. But Kondrashin and Maxim both take this as a gradual phasing in, not a sudden realization. I would be interested to hear from Maxim whether he learned this approach from his own analysis, or from Kondrashin, or from his father.

Well, forever onward. On my shelf of things to be listened to in the immediate future, there are 3 stacks. In the middle, of course, is a hanssler Bach CBE stack. To its left is a stack of 6 Schumann CDs, and to its left, a stack of 4 multi-composer CDs.


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## RebLem (Oct 6, 2007)

In the week ending Saturday, 19 JAN 2008, I listened to the following:

1. Bach, J.S: Cantatas 169 (23:37), 170 (23:12), & 171 (15:40)---Rilling, cond. usual suspects---hanssler CD Vol. 51 of CBE, rec 1982-3. Excellent performances.

2. Bach, J.S.: Cantatas 172 (16:41), 173 (15:43), 174 (22:14), & 175 (15:34)---Rilling, cond. usual suspects---hanssler CD Vol 52 of CBE, rec. 1975-1984. Excellent performances.

3. Bach, J.S.: 15 Organ works influenced by cantatas, concerti, and chamber music---Bine Katrine Bryndorf, organ @ Garnison Church, Copenhagen---hanssler CD, Vol. 98 of CBE, rec. 1/1999. Excellent performances of occasionally inspiring works.

4. Schumann: Carnaval, Op. 9 (26:47) |Etudes symphoniques, Op. 13 (22:54) |Kreisleriana, Op. 16 (28:13)-Geza Anda, piano-rec. 1954-5, Classico CD. Great performances, sublte and warm.

5. Schumann: ABEGG theme, from Op. 1 (6:55) |Novelletten, Op. 21 (46:13) |Drei Fathasiestuecke, Op. 111 (10:22)---Kotaro Fukuma, piano---Naxos CD 8.557668. This CD is part of the Naxos Laureate Series, recording prize winning young artists. Fukuma was born in Tokyo in 1982, and won First Prize @ the 2003 Cleveland International Piano Competition, in addition to a number of other prizes. These are wonderfully warm and nuanced performances by an artist with a great future. Highly recommended.

6. Twentieth Century Harpsichord Music, Vol. 1---Barbara Harbach, harpsichord---Gasparo GSCD-251. Martinu: Complete solo harpsichord works---Deux pieces pour clavecin (5:37), Sonate pour clavecin (5:02), Deux impromptus pour clavecin (3:13) |Virgil Thomson: Four Portraits (7:46) |Persichetti: Harpsichord Sonata #7, Op. 156 (6:55) |William Albright: Four Fancies for Harpsichord (11:23) |Samuel Adler: Sonata for Harpsichord (12:07) |Rick Sowash: The Unicorn (8:10), Theme with six variations (6:25) |Alec Templeton: Bach Goes to Town (3:48 ). 
I bought this CD from the website of one of the composers featured, Rick Sowash http://www.sowash.com/ He is a composer, children's writer, and politician from southern Ohio near Cincinnati, brought to my attention by Harold Tucker, another poster at one of the communities where I post these reports. Ms. Harbach is a fine harpsichordist (and organist), a music professor at the Univ of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. Without knowing how to read music or much of the language of performance, it is difficult for me to describe this record. But I did take a few, short notes on some of the pieces. The 4th of Virgil Thomson's Portraits is based on a number of folk songs, some of which I think I didn't detect, but the three I did were Yankee Doodle, Frere Jacques, and the Shaker song, Simple Gifts. The 4th of Albright's Fancies has lots of energy and a very strong, often overpowering bass line with a pronounced minimalist influence. It is reminiscent, at times, of repetitive calliope music. The Sowash works are based on simple but affecting melodies and variations, and the Templeton piece has some interesting syncopated rhythms. Highly recommended.


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## RebLem (Oct 6, 2007)

In the week ending Saturday, 26 JAN 2008, I listened to only 4 CDs, such is my obsession with political & election year programming on MSNBC, CNN, and CSPAN, particularly. Anyway, here they are--

1. Bach, J.S: Cantatas 176 (13:04), 177 (26:22), & 178 (22:36)---Rilling, cond. usual suspects---hanssler CD Vol. 53 of CBE, Chorales rec 1998, organ 1999. Excellent performance.

2. Bach, J.S.: Deutsche Messe (70:33)---Rilling, cond. Gachinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Gerhard Gnann, organ---hanssler CD Vol 81 of CBE, rec. 1975-1984. Excellent performances.

3. Schumann: Piano Sonata 1in F Sharp Minor, Op. 11 (34:13) |Piano Sonata 2 in F Minor, Op. 14 (32:59)-Nikolai Demidenko, piano-hyperion CD. The second sonata has an interesting and slightly convoluted history. And here, I liberally paraphrase, even quote, from the liner notes.

Schumann did most of the work on the PS 2 in the summer of 1836. It originally consisted of 5 movements, with the third being "a set of variations on an 'Andantino de Clara Wieck', but the 5 note descending scale with which her theme began permeated other sections of the work, too-not least the main theme of the opening movement." The variations were framed by two scherzos. Schumann's publisher, Tobias Haslinger, influenced him to drop the scherzos, but it became generally known, and critics supported Schumann's original intention, so he revised the work in 1853 and republished it.

He restored the second scherzo, "and renoted the Finale, changing its time signature from 6/16 to a more conventional 2/4….{He} …also retouched the opening movement, making occasional changes to its texture, rhythm, and even harmony. This is perhaps his only piano work in which the revision is patently superior to the original, and …Demidenko has generally followed it for this recording. He has, however,…retained the sustained chord that follows the flurry of semiquaver activity in the sonata's opening bars. The revised version has a straightforward chord of C Major here, but Schumann originally wrote a dischord which propels the succeeding musical argument with greater force and intensity." And, whereas the standard revised version eliminates the first of the two original scherzos, Dimidemko retains it, in its original place as the second movement. In addition, the theme and variations were greatly expanded for the 1853 version, and are presented here.

Mr. Demidenko is a superb and sublte pianist; these are wonderful, sensitive performances. Highly recommended.

4. Songs of Humor and Satire, an album of novelty songs sung and played by the Gregg Smith Singers and associated performers; indeed, the album was produced by Gregg Smith-1 Premier Recordings CD. Kurt Weill (1900-1950): Ho, Billy, O! (5:22) |Robert Ross (b. 1955): Departmental (4:37) |Rick Sowash (b. 1950): Philosophical Anecdotes (8:30) |Irving Fine( 1914-1962): The Choral New Yorker (17:10) |Jack Gottlieb (b 1930): Presidential Suite (14:09) |George Gershwin (1898-1937): Two Madrigals (4:12) |Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007):Moans, Groans, Cries, and Sighs (10:45) |Gregg Smith (1931): Mark Twain Cantata (10:42) |Charles Ives (1874-1954): Vote for Names (1:05)-these are novelty songs, very funny, occasionally satirical. Recommended.

So, what's for next week and beyond? Well, there's still 2 CDs in the multi-composer stack below that, and I have added three more suchlike as well as five other single composer CDs of music from minor classical and pre-classical composers like Boyce, Cherubini, and Pleyel. Then there is the Bach stackm and 3 more Schumann CDs left, of course. Underneath the Schumann mini-stack, I've put the 6 CD Hungaroton set of the complete Bartok chamber music.


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## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

Good stuff there. You might also like Richard Goode's Beethoven Sonatas (especially his Waldstein, which is my favorite of the sonatas).

That Shostakovich set sounds great- I'll have to check it out.


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## RebLem (Oct 6, 2007)

In the week ending Saturday, 02 FEB 2008, I listened to the following::

1. Bach, J.S.: French Suites, S. 812-817 (1'32:40)-Edward Aldwell, piano-2 CD hanssler set, Vol. 114 of CBE. Fine performances, if you like Bach on a modern piano, which I generally don't.

2. Bach, J.S: Cantatas 179 (16:50), 180 (23:15), & 181 (13:44)---Rilling, cond. usual suspects---hanssler CD Vol. 54 of CBE. Excellent performances.

3. Bach, J.S.: Cantatas 182 (29:19), 183 (14:33), 184 (23:45)---Rilling, cond. usual suspects-hanssler CD, Vol. 55 of CBE. Excellent performances.

4. Schumann: Mass in C Minor, Op. 147 (44:41)---Berlin PO, Chor des Stadtischen Musikvereins zu Dusseldorf, Wolfgang Sawallisch, cond. Mitsuko Shirai, soprano, Peter Seiffert, tenor, Jan-Hendrik Rootering, bass |Requiem in D Flat, Op. 148 (32:46)---Dusseldorfer Sym., Chor des Stadtischen Musikvereins zu Dusseldorf, Bernhard Klee, cond. Helen Donath, soprano, Doris Soffel, contralto, Nicolai Gedda, tenor, Diethrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone EMI CD. These are very good, infrequently performed works, well worth a listen or two, and well performed. Recommended.

5. Arensky: Piano Trio 1 in D Minor, Op. 32 (31:45) |Glinka: Trio Pathetique in D Minor (17:40)---The Borodin Trio (Luba Edlina, piano, Rostislav Dubinsky, violin, Yuli Turovsky, cello)-Chandos CD. Very fine, infrequently performed works, very tuneful, should be much more widely known and performed. Highly recommended.

6. Schumann: Dichterliebe (A Poet's Love), Op. 48 (27:24) |Beethoven: 4 Songs (12:34) |Schubert: 9 Songs (25:18 )-Fritz Wunderlich, tenor, Hubert Giesen, piano-DG CD. These are great performances, esp of the Schumann and Schubert works. Wunderlich performs this music in an easy, fluid way which conveys a sense of intimate and secure familiarity with these works. Superb recording which comes with the highest recommendation.


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## RebLem (Oct 6, 2007)

In the 3 weeks ending Saturday, 23 FEB 2008, I listened to only 9 CDs, such was my addiction to politically oriented broadcasting. But here they are.

1. Bach, J.S:: 4 Reconstructed Violin Concerti: Sinfonia in D Major, S. 1045 (5:34) |Conc. in D Minor, S 1052R (20:20) |Conc.for 3 violins in G Minor, S. 1056R (9:20) |Conc. in D Major, S. 1064 (15:52)-Rilling, cond., Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Isabelle Faust, violin (all), Muriel Cantoreggi & Christoph Poppen, violins (S. 1056R)-hanssler CD Vol. 138 of CBE. Rec 2000. Fine performances of tastefully constructed, but minor works.

2. Bach, J.S.: A Book of Chorale Settings: Incidental Festivities & Psalms (63:16)---Rilling, cond., Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Gachinger Kantorei, Gerhard Gnann, organ---hanssler CD Vol. 82 of CBE. Rec 1998-9. Fine performances of minor works.

3. Schumann: Fantasiestuecke, Op. 12 (22:30), rec. 5/70 |Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13 and Posthumous Etudes (33:48 ), rec. 1/72 |Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26 (20:13), rec. 10/76---Sviatoslav Richter, piano-Yedang CD. Magnificent performances.

4, 5, 6. Bartok: CD 1-- Piano Quintet (1904, rev 1920) (38:17), SQ 1, Op. 7 (1909) (29:57) |CD 2-SQ 2, Op. 17 (1917) (26:16), SQ 3 (1927) (14:57), SQ 4 (1928 ) (22:22) |CD 3--- SQ 5 (1934) (30:15), SQ 6 (1939) (27:32), Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano (1938 ) (16:42)---Tatrai Quartet in piano quintet and the 6 string quartets. Csilla Szabo, piano (quintet), Miklos Szenthelyi, violin, Kalman Berkes, clarinet, Zoltan Kocsis, piano (Contrasts)---3 CD Hungaroton box, Vol. 2 of a 6 CD slipcased set of the complete Bartok Chamber Music. I know that the Bartok string quartets are supposed to be the greatest body of chamber music from the 20th century. Everybody who knows what they're talking about says so. I must say, however, that I have never been able to warm to them. And other sets than this are generally considered better by all those other people. But I think the neutral, natural tone of these performances, in an acoustic that is perfect for chamber music, neither too reverberant or too dry, make the best case for these works I have heard, and I own and have listened to the Emerson and Takacs Quartet sets as well as this one. To me, the most interesting work here is the piano quintet. It is beautiful, and has a rigorous musical argument, a precursor, in many ways, of the Shostakovich quintet. The Contrasts is also an interesting work. It was commissioned by Bartok's friend Joseph Szigeti; he played it with Benny Goodman. This set is highly recommended.

7. Choral music of Herbert Howells and Ralph Vaughan Williams. This CD has 6 pieces, which alternate between the two composers, as follows: VW: Prayer to the Father of Heaven for SATB Choir (4:40) |HH: A Sequence for St. Michael for ST Soli, SATB Choir, and organ (1961) (11:56) |VW: A Vision of Aeroplanes for for soprano solo, SATB Choir, and organ (1955) (9:47) |HH:The House of the Mind for SATB Choir and organ (9:57) |VW: Lord, Thou hast been our Refuge for STB Soli and countertenor, and SATB Choir, organ, and trumpet (9:36) |HH:Requiem for ST Soli, countertenor, baritone, and SATB Choir (20:57)-The Finzi Singers, Paul Spicer, dir. (all soloists are also members of The Finzi Singers), John Freeman-Attwood, trumpet, Harry Bicket, organ-Chandos CD. Fine performances.

8. Salmhofer, Franz (1900-75) Heiteres Herbarium (Cheerful Herbarium) (25:03) |Loewe, Carl (1796-1869): Die Heinzelmaennchen, Op. 83 (8:58 ) ; Der verliebte Maikaefer, Op. 64 # 1 (5:47) ; Tom der Reimer, Op. 155 (5:40) |Prokofiev: The Ugly Duckling after Hans Christian Andersen, Op. 18 (1914) (12:18 )---Eberhard Buechner, tenor, Norman Shetler, piano. Berlin Classics CD-All these songs, on nature themes, are sung in German, even the Prokofiev. Booklet is entirely in German, no English notes or texts. Despite that, these are wonderful, tuneful songs, and Buechner is a wonderful tenor. Highly recommended.

9. Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf |Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals |Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell-NYPO, Leonard Bernstein, cond. and narrator in the Prokofiev and Saint-Saens, Master Henry Chapin, narrator in the Britten. (75:13)-Sony CD. Superb performances and narration. Highly recommended.


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## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

I happen to really like the Bartòk quartets, almost as much as his piano concertos (some of my favorite 20th-century orchestral music). Can't stand that CD 9, though... I've never liked Peter and the Wolf or Carnival... and there is so much better Britten than YPG.


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